Accidental Bliss
by akirk85029
Summary: AU Story - How one night can change your life. I suck at summaries, please read and let me know if it's a decent story. Mainly IchiRuki, other pairings include Bya/His, Momo/Tou, Karin/OC, Yuzu/Kira, and Yor/Kis.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Bleach. Insert funny comment

**Warnings: **This is an AU story – so bear with me:)

**Pairings: **Mainly Ichiruki

**A/N:** Many thanks to my beta, ForeverSam, for helping me and giving me enough confidence to actually post this story:) This is my first fanfic, so please be gentle.

**

* * *

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**Accidental Bliss**

_By: akirk85029_

* * *

6 weeks. 

It had been 6 weeks since Ichigo had last seen the raven-haired temptress of his dreams. They had shared one magical night and she had disappeared even before he had woken up. He wondered where she was, what she was doing, would he ever see her again? He constantly thought about her and his friends were starting to bug him because he was always spacing out.

Rukia was kneeling on the cold hard floor her hands gripping the commode tightly as she was violently throwing up everything she had greatly devoured earlier in the morning. She looked over at the counter, when she had a moment where she could breathe, where the positive pregnancy test sat almost taunting her with its results. She thought back to the night she had spent with the orange haired man named Ichigo. It was a perfect night and she wondered why she had left so early in the morning, not even attempting to get his last name. Maybe she had been scared? His caresses, his kisses had been burned into her memory and now she had a memento of that night. She knew where he lived, she remembered how many times she had almost gone back there, but then she would think that she was being stupid. He probably had a different girl every night, he was too good looking not to have every girl wanting him, so what made her so special?

Rukia groaned as she made her way to a standing position and flushed the toilet taking away the remains of her breakfast. She walked to the counter, adjusting her shirt and washed her hands and then proceeded to brush her teeth, yet again. When she was finished she walked out into the living room to her purse, pulled out her cell phone, and called her Aunt Retsu.

Retsu Unohana was sitting at her desk in her office at the hospital. She was the Chief of Staff of the main hospital in Karakura Town. She was going over some paperwork when her cell phone started ringing. She glanced at the caller ID and answered it when she saw her niece's name.

"Good morning, Rukia," Retsu said happy to have a distraction from paperwork.

"Aunt Retsu, are you busy this morning?" Rukia asked getting to the point.

"Why?" Retsu asked her curiosity having been peaked. Rukia wanted to see her and Rukia was not one to skip out on work for any reason, let alone being sick, especially since her father was the boss.

"I think that, I mean, well …, I…I'm pregnant." Rukia finally blurted out, hoping that, out of all the people, her Aunt would not think less of her.

Retsu sat at her desk dumbfounded. Of all things, she was not expecting that to come out of her niece's mouth. She looked over at her calendar to double check that it was not April Fool's Day.

"Aunt Retsu?" Rukia queried after not hearing anything from her aunt, and was suddenly worried that maybe this was a bad idea.

"Sorry, Rukia, you just shocked me. I can see you now if you want." Retsu said, looking at her task list for the day.

"Sure, I'll leave now; I'll be there in about twenty minutes." Rukia said hanging up her phone and grabbed her purse and keys and headed immediately out the door while dialing her sister's telephone to tell her that she had "forgot" a doctor's appointment and would be late for work and to inform their father.

Retsu closed her phone and took a deep breathe. She knew that her brother-in-law was going to go ballistic when he found out. She tried to create a mental image of him going crazy, but she couldn't. She wondered how her sister, Hisana, would take the news. She grabbed a couple of files and started to make her way downstairs so she could greet Rukia when she got there.

* * *

Rukia followed her aunt into an examining room and changed out of her clothes into the paper like substance that patients have to wear. Rukia gasped as the cold gel landed on her now flat stomach and wondered how long before that changed. She looked over at her aunt as she placed the gismo that allowed the ultrasound machine to retrieve an image from inside her stomach on top of the gel and rolled it around and Rukia soon heard the sound her of child's heartbeat even though she couldn't tell what she was looking at on the screen.

"There's your baby!" Retsu said pointing to something that looked like a peanut on the screen.

"It's so small." Rukia said quietly not really talking to anyone in particular.

"It won't stay that way." Retsu said with a grin and printed a copy of the sonogram for Rukia to keep. "I'd say you are approximately six weeks." Retsu said still moving the contraption around on Rukia's stomach.

"I know." Rukia said.

Retsu just looked at Rukia and smiled. She finally turned off the machine and gave some wipes to Rukia to wash the gel off. "So who's the father?" Retsu finally asked.

Rukia just kept her head down.

Retsu's smile faltered a little. "You do know who the father is, don't you?" Retsu asked a little bit more like a mother than a doctor.

"Yes," Rukia said snapping her head up and then looked away, "well, sorta, I mean, we only spent one night together and I only know his first name."

Retsu silently cursed. Rukia's father was going to kill her. Rukia looked at her aunt. "I know, don't say it." She knew her father was going to kill her.

"What's his name?" Retsu asked, knowing it was probably pointless in asking without a last name.

"Ichigo." Rukia responded while throwing away the wipes and started grabbing her clothes to change back.

Retsu looked at her niece. _She knew that name, but from where?_ Retsu's eyes widened. _It had to be a coincidence, but how many people had that name?_ "Rukia, do you mind if I bring an intern in here to write you a prescription for your prenatal pills? I left my prescription pad in my office and it would be faster this way." Retsu asked ignoring the weight of her pad in the pocket of her white lab coat.

"No problem." Rukia said while throwing her shirt over her shoulders.

Retsu quietly exited the room and walked down to the nurse's station. "Please page Dr. Kurosaki down here." Retsu said to the person sitting behind the desk and was promptly responded with a "Yes, ma'am."

* * *

Retsu waited all of two minutes before the orange-haired intern was walking out of the elevator towards her. Retsu eyed him suspiciously.

Ichigo was surprised to see the Chief of Staff waiting for him as he exited the elevator and as she glared at him, he wondered what he might have done wrong.

"Dr. Kurosaki, I have a favor I need to ask of you." Retsu said, noting the look of surprise that registered on his face for a second.

"Sure, Dr. Unohana." Ichigo said wondering what the favor could be.

"I seem to have left my prescription pad in my office and I have a patient in Room two-oh-three that needs a prescription for prenatal pills. She's six weeks along and her name is Ru- Miss Kuchiki." Retsu corrected herself quickly, looking sternly at the intern.

"Yes, ma'am." Ichigo said and turned to walk towards the exam rooms wondering how he had pissed her off to give him such a menial task. _Six weeks, that's how long since he'd seen Rukia_. He then cursed himself again, how many times was his mind going to drift back to her. He needed to give it up; he was never going to see her again. He took a deep breathe and knocked on the door to Room 203 and heard a soft "you can come in" before he opened the door and stepped in.

Retsu smiled as she watched him go in and hoped that her instincts about people were still accurate. She sat in a chair in the nurse's station and decided to wait and see the results of her meddling in her niece's life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Bleach. Insert funny comment

**Warnings: **This is an AU story – so bear with me

**Pairings: **Mainly Ichiruki

**A/N:** Many thanks to my beta, ForeverSam, for helping me and giving me enough confidence to actually post this story This is my first fanfic, so please be gentle.

* * *

**Accidental Bliss**

_By: akirk85029_

* * *

Rukia was staring at a poster on the wall trying to decipher why she was reading the damn thing. Maybe it had something to do with her trying not to dwell on the many different ways her father would kill her that night after dinner, or maybe during dinner, maybe even before dinner? _That would all depend on when I have the courage to actually tell him._ Rukia was still debating things when she heard the knock on the door. 

"You can come in." Rukia simply stated and reached down to grab her cream colored jacket that matched her business suit.

Ichigo stepped in the room and was soon staring at a woman with a short business skirt bending over to grab a jacket off a chair. He cleared his throat to distract himself along with getting the woman's attention. She slowly turned around and Ichigo's brain ceased to function for the moment.

"Rukia!" was all he could say as he was frozen where he stood.

Rukia felt as though time had stopped. _Oh God! _Rukia didn't move. _How the hell did he know I was here? _Rukia tried to say something, but all she could mutter was "Ichigo."

When she said his name he regained control of his body and walked to her and claimed her lips with his. The kiss was not gentle and spoke of his want for her. Rukia wrapped her arms around his neck allowing him to pull her closer to him. His arms were around her waist hugging her to him. All was right in the world to Ichigo now that he was kissing her again, but something was bugging him, like some thought was trying to break its way through from his sub-conscience mind to his conscience mind.

Ichigo finally broke the kiss and started kissing along her jaw line. "Why did you leave?" Ichigo asked almost whispering into her ear.

Rukia felt content inside as Ichigo left a trail of kisses along her jaw and the only thought running through her mind was that of wanting him to continue what he was doing. When he asked that question reality came crashing down around her.

"Ichigo, Stop." Rukia said winding herself out of his grasp.

Ichigo looked at her. "What's wrong?" He asked, a hurt look flashed across his eyes for a second. Then he remembered he had come in here to do something before he had spotted Rukia. _What was it he came in there to do? _Finally some of the words from his conversation with Dr. Unohana were starting to come forward in his brain. _Prenatal, Six Weeks, _and then _Rukia_ and it hit Ichigo all at once.

Rukia had grabbed her purse and her jacket which had fallen to the floor. She would just get the prescription from her aunt later. She turned to walk out when she walked into a solid mass.

Ichigo had walked in front of her as she had attempted to leave. "Tell me it's not mine!" He demanded.

Rukia stared at him. She knew then that her aunt had been the one to send him in here. She was going to have a talk with her aunt later. She looked into his eyes, those soft brown eyes and knew that she couldn't lie to him. He deserved to know the truth.

Ichigo looked into her eyes and knew that the child was his. He could see it in her eyes. He needed to sit down. He pulled a chair over and sat down. Rukia sat down across from him.

"Look Ichigo, you don't have to do anything. I can take care of things myself." Rukia said after watching him trying to take everything in. She was trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her heart. _Why was she feeling this way? She technically hasn't even known him for even a full day yet. Well she was carrying his child. Maybe that was the reason for this feeling? Maybe._

Ichigo slowly looked at her. "Rukia, this is as much my responsibility as it is yours!" He stated matter-of-factly.

"But you don't have to, I mean, I can't force something like this onto you. We only spent one night together." Rukia said not knowing if she really wanted him to stay or go.

"So it's okay for me to be free, but not you?" Ichigo asked wanting her to think of herself and not about him.

Rukia just looked at him not really sure of what to say.

"Listen, this is my kid too and I would like to be a part of his or her life, if you will let me." Ichigo asked staring into her deep blue eyes trying to convey how honest he was being with her.

Rukia smiled softly. Ichigo leaned forward and pulled her hands into his. "We can do this together." He said pulling her in for a soft and delicate kiss.

Rukia had not expected him to do that but she felt her heart skip a beat when he kissed her so softly.

"Yeah, well, you might not have much to worry about after tonight." Rukia said trying to lighten the conversation.

Ichigo just raised a brow.

"My father will kill me tonight. I'm pretty certain of it. Although at least I won't have to worry about the pain of childbirth." Rukia joked.

Ichigo didn't think she was funny. "What?" He asked a scowl appearing on his face. _Was her father really that bad? She is an adult after all. Maybe he was one of those ones that were desperately holding on to old world rules. _He felt Rukia's grip tighten in his. "Well, let's just get married." He stated like it was no big deal.

Rukia just stared at him. _Did those words just come out of his mouth?_

"Earth to Rukia." Ichigo said while waving one of his hands in her face. She slapped it away and he chuckled.

"Ichigo, I don't want to get married because I'm pregnant." Rukia said truthfully.

"Well, don't think of it that way, think of it as a possible way to save your life and that of our child's." Ichigo said with a mischievous grin appearing on his face. "And after a year, if neither one of is happy with the way things are we can just get divorced, deal?" Ichigo pleaded with her in his mind to take the deal. _This way I can have time to get to know her. I already know that she's different that any other woman I have ever met. _He also knew he did not want to let her get away from him again.

"I don't know, Ichigo." Rukia said trying to think logically.

Ichigo stood up pulling her up with him and kissed her again, this time as if his life depended on it. "Just say yes." He said when he finally broke the kiss.

"Okay." Rukia stated simply, still lost in the kiss.

Ichigo grabbed her things and then proceeded to head towards the door taking her with him.

"What, now?" Rukia asked not sure of where he was leading her.

"Why not now?" Ichigo simply asked.

Rukia could not think of a response. Ichigo took that as a positive sign and pulled her out the door.

* * *

Retsu watched as the two headed toward the elevators and disappeared from sight. _They were holding hands._ Retsu smiled and pulled out her cell phone ignoring some of the comments that were being whispered around her. She knew a lot of the female staff at the hospital fancied Dr. Kurosaki, but she also knew that he always ignored the whole lot of them. She dialed her sister's number; she did not want to miss dinner over there tonight. She had a feeling that it was going to be interesting to say the least. She also made a mental note to have Kurosaki make up his shift during the next week.

* * *

Two hours later, Ichigo and Rukia were walking out of the courthouse officially husband and wife. They were walking back to his car when Rukia suddenly stopped. 

"I smell food." Rukia said and then started to drag Ichigo with her.

"I don't smell anything." Ichigo said a little irritated because she was about to detach his hand from his arm. _That and he was thinking about which apartment to go back to, after all they were technically on their honeymoon. _Then it struck him. _They needed to decide where they were going to live? Was either apartment economical in terms of the other person getting to work? Did they need to look for a new place altogether? He really hadn't thought all of this through. There were going to be a lot of changes over the next couple of weeks. _He then smelled food. _How in the hell did she smell this place from so far away? Oh yeah, she's pregnant, her sense of smell was now a super power._

When they entered the restaurant he turned her to him and looked into her eyes. He needed to know he was doing the right thing. Rukia just smiled at him and cocked her head as if asking if anything was wrong. He smiled back, _things were good, _and he felt better seeing her smile.

"Are you okay?" Rukia asked a little worried. _Was she that bad of a wife already?_

Ichigo just smiled and leaned in and kissed her. "I'm good."

"Oh. MY. GOD!"

Rukia froze. _Of all places they had to choose to eat. _Ichigo just looked at Rukia putting a protective arm around her. Rukia turned to face the woman.

"Rangiku!" Rukia greeted her long time friend and then noticed that her sister and cousin were with Rangiku.

Rangiku turned around to the maitre d' and told him that they were with them and to make it a table for five. He nodded and Rangiku turned back to her friend and her mysterious stranger.

"So who's the hunk?" Rangiku asked pointing to the only male in the group.

Ichigo gritted his teeth.

"Ichigo, I would like you to meet my friend, Rangiku" Rukia said pointing to the amply chested blonde, "and my sister, Momo," she continued pointing to the girl in the middle with her hair up in a bun, "and my cousin, Nemu." Rukia finished pointing the last girl on the right. All the girls were staring at Rukia's left hand the whole time she was introducing them as they spotted the ring on that all important finger. Rukia wasn't paying attention to what hand she had used and therefore was not paying attention to their staring. "And this is Ichigo." Rukia said finally pointing to the man beside her. Since his right arm was around Rukia, he used his left hand in a half wave to the ladies. They collectively gasped as they noticed a white band on his hand as well.

Rangiku had to bite her tongue as the maitre d' appeared and informed them that their table was ready and led the way in.

Ichigo led Rukia in and the rest followed, questions burning on their respective tongues.

Ichigo and Rukia sat on one side of the table and the other three sat across from them. All the purses got placed in the empty chair beside Rukia.

"So this is what you've been doing all morning?" Rangiku asked making her double entendre painfully obvious.

Both Ichigo and Rukia rolled their eyes.

"When did you get married?" Momo asked sounding a little hurt at not being invited.

"How did you know?" Rukia asked a little surprised.

"You were waving it right in our faces." Rangiku said smugly.

"Oh." Was all Rukia said. She couldn't remember which hand she had used for introductions at the moment.

"We got married like half an hour ago." Ichigo replied to Rangiku.

"Wait a minute, you just got married and you're sitting in a restaurant. Why?" Rangiku asked.

"I was just hungry." Rukia said staring at her menu intently. Ichigo was doing the same.

Everyone thankfully remained quiet while the waiter took everyone's order.

"Are you pregnant?" Nemu queried.

Rukia looked over at her cousin and nodded. She had not expected to let so many people know about her condition so fast.

"You KNOCKED her up?" Rangiku shouted slightly.

"Say it a little louder next time, I don't think everyone in the restaurant heard you!" Ichigo stated while putting an arm across the back of Rukia's chair.

Rangiku smiled at him and then congratulated the both of them. Nemu followed suit and Momo got up and walked over and hugged her sister and then hugged her newfound brother-in-law.

Momo sat down excited about the new information. She was going to be an aunt for the first time. And then it dawned on her.

"What are you going to tell Dad?" Momo said a little frightened.

"I have no idea!" Rukia said looking at the three across from her hoping for some ideas.

"I still don't get what the big deal is?" Ichigo asked taking a drink from his water that was just placed on the table.

"I see you two have spent a whole lot of time talking." Rangiku stated winking at the both of them causing said two people to blush slightly.

Momo turned to Ichigo. "You do know that the Kuchiki family is a noble family, right?" She asked a little surprised at his question.

_Who are the Kuchiki's? Oh yeah, that's Rukia's last name, or was anyway. He remembered seeing it on the marriage schedule before they filed it with the registrar's office. _Ichigo just looked at Momo and shrugged his shoulders. _What did he care anyway?_

"Oh I am so coming over for dinner tonight!" Rangiku stated merrily.

"You just want to see the fireworks." Rukia said trying not to think about it while putting a spoonful of her strawberry milkshake into her mouth.

"Well, duh!" Rangiku said overjoyed at the whole situation. _This is going to be fun._

_

* * *

_Isshin was sitting at his desk supposedly working but was secretly plotting ways to annoy his son. He looked over at the calendar, twenty four days until Christmas. He got up and walked out of the office into the empty dining room. Yuzu should be home any minute. Both of the girls were in their senior year of college and his son was a first year intern. He looked over at the poster of his wife. 

"Where did all the time go?" He asked her and then the phone started ringing.

He glanced at the caller id, saw Private Number, and picked up the phone.

"Kurosaki Clinic." Isshin answered trying to act professional.

"Isshin guess what I am looking at right now!" Kisuke stated playfully.

"I don't know, did your son propose to my daughter yet?" Isshin asked hopeful.

"That is all in good time, but not yet that I am aware of, anyway I am looking at your son sitting at a table with four very beautiful women." Kisuke said with a grin, trying to play footsies with his wife, Yoruichi, who was about ready to hit him.

"Really." Isshin smiled brightly.

"Yeah, he only seems to be really interested in the one sitting next to him and Yoruichi swears she heard one of the girls yell something that sounded like 'Knocked Up'." Kisuke groaned as Yoruichi finally kicked him.

"Thanks for the info. I assume you will inform me of any developments." Isshin said almost bouncing in place.

"Of course." Kisuke replied closing his phone.

Isshin hung up the phone and a cheshire cat-like grin slowly made its way onto his face, the wheels were rapidly turning inside his brain.

* * *

**A/N - **I kind of figured that with I & R they would have to do something spontaneous otherwise someone's family might interfere I hope this is adequate for you guys. Will have a little of their backgrounds explained in the next chapter! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews from my previous chapter!! 


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Bleach. Insert funny comment

**Warnings: **This is an AU story – so bear with me

**Pairings: **Mainly Ichiruki

**A/N:** Many thanks to my beta, ForeverSam, for helping me and giving me enough confidence to actually post this story This is my first fanfic, so please be gentle.

* * *

**Accidental Bliss**

_By: akirk85029_

* * *

Rukia was thoroughly enjoying her lunch. It had to be the best she'd had in a long time or it could be the fact that she had emptied her stomach earlier that morning. She was also trying to ignore the glances from the three women across from her and Ichigo. 

"Well, I guess we need to cancel our plans for next month!" Rangiku stated while taking a bite from her own meal.

Rukia looked up suspiciously at Rangiku. "What were you planning?"

"Oh, nothing." Rangiku said trying to act all innocent which caused Momo to cough to keep from laughing.

"What's going on next month?" Ichigo asked, and suddenly felt like he shouldn't have as three sets of eyes were staring at him, shocked yet again. _When the hell was he going to learn to keep his mouth shut?_ Ichigo inwardly groaned apparently whatever was going on next month was something he was supposed to know about.

Said three sets of eyes turned their gaze from Ichigo to Rukia, who was trying to pretend that nothing was out of the ordinary. She finally looked up to their questioning gazes and caved.

"Okay, okay, so this lunch, would technically be considered our second date." Rukia blurted out and looked at Ichigo who looked as nervous as she felt. She placed her hand into his and she could swear that she could feel him relax under her touch. She smiled as she turned to face the three before her.

Nemu's face held slight amusement and interest in the sudden information. Rangiku had the biggest grin as she apparently was thrilled at the whole idea. Momo looked at her with an expression of shock and horror.

"Rukia!" was all the Momo could say.

Ichigo squeezed Rukia's hand to let her know that he was there for her. She squeezed back and just as she had seemed to relax him, he had done the same for her in just that small gesture.

"Well, whatever you do, don't tell your father _that_!" Nemu said before turning her attention back to her lunch.

Rukia and the other two looked at her. Rukia started laughing. _Nemu didn't talk much, especially after that night, but when she did, her comments were usually priceless._ Rukia looked back at her sister who was trying not to laugh.

"Rukia." Momo said her name again. She needed time to think things over, she just wasn't sure how to take everything.

Rukia, sensing this, turned to Ichigo. "I'm ready to go!"

Ichigo nodded his head and got up allowing Rukia to do the same. He pulled out his wallet and threw enough bills on the table to pay for everyone's lunch, which caused the girls to look at him curiously. Rukia grabbed her purse and everyone bid their farewells for now. Ichigo wrapped his arm around Rukia and walked out with her neither one noticing a couple following them.

Rangiku turned over to the still pondering Momo. "Don't worry so much!"

Momo looked over at her friend feeling guilty. "I can't help it. Dad is not going to take it well."

"I guess that his problem then, isn't it?" Rangiku said ignoring the gnawing sensation in the pit of her stomach. She didn't want to admit that she was worried about her friend as well.

* * *

Ichigo and Rukia were walking back to the car when he noticed that she was shivering. He took off his jacket and placed it on her. Rukia looked up at him when she felt the sudden weight and warmth of his jacket. 

"Why are you wearing a skirt today anyway?" Ichigo complained.

"Because it was nice earlier and I wanted to take advantage of it." Rukia stated defending her decision.

Ichigo tried not to smile. He took her hand into his, leaned over, and kissed her.

He broke the kiss before it got too passionate. They were too far from his car still. Then they both noticed that it had started to snow. They both looked up at the sky.

"There's not even any clouds." Rukia muttered under her breath.

The couple started to walk a little more briskly so they could reach the car faster.

* * *

Kisuke and Yoruichi walked behind the couple and watched curiously as they had kissed. After the couple had gotten into the car and drove away, Kisuke pulled out his cell phone. He turned to his wife grinning, "Well, I guess I have to report the latest findings." 

Yoruichi rolled her eyes, and began wondering if she had seen the girl before. _She looks so familiar. Do I know her family?_

* * *

Ichigo watched as Rukia was messing with the buttons in his car as they drove. She had told him where she lived before they had started the car, and he knew the complex she lived in. 

"Oh, sometime I need to get my car from the hospital." Rukia said as she finished playing with all the different buttons.

"Yeah, I guess we can do that now if you want?" Ichigo offered.

"No, we can get it later." Rukia said putting her hand into his and entwining their fingers. She couldn't explain the feeling she got from just the mere touch of his hand, but she wasn't going to deny that she enjoyed it.

She was brought out of her thoughts when Ichigo called her name. "Huh?"

Ichigo just shook his head. "I asked what was going on next month. The something I should have known about that caused your 'confession'."

Rukia blushed. She hadn't meant to do that. "Oh, nothing, it's just that my birthday is next month. January fourteenth, I'll be twenty-six. When's your birthday?"

"July fifteenth and I'll be twenty-seven. I guess we need to get the basics out of the way so we don't ask any more embarrassing questions." Ichigo stated trying to block out the memory.

Rukia turned to look at him.

"I guess that means I start." Ichigo said not turning his head from the road. "Well, my father is Isshin and he's crazy as you'll soon find out, but he'll instantly fall in love with you and I know he'll be happy about, you know," Ichigo said while pointing towards her stomach. He just hoped his father wouldn't run her off with his behavior. "And I have two sisters, Yuzu and Karin, who are both seniors in college. They are fraternal twins and they are twenty-one and will be twenty-two in May. Let's see, Yuzu is studying design with a minor in business. Karin is studying athletics with a minor in education. I think that is just in case her soccer career doesn't go pro, but I don't think she will have a problem with that."

"What about your mother?" Rukia asked after he stopped.

Ichigo sighed. "She died when I was nine."

"Oh" was all Rukia could say. She didn't know what to do or say.

"Well, my father is Byakuya, and he's an imposing man as you will see." Rukia said trying to make a joke to get that sad look from Ichigo's eyes. Ichigo turned to her and he smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. Rukia just sighed. She didn't know how to comfort him, so she continued, "My mother is Hisana and, well, you met my sister Momo. We're only ten months apart."

Ichigo's eyebrow rose. "Really?"

Rukia chuckled. "Yeah, but the doctor told them that my mom shouldn't have anymore children. She had hard pregnancies with both of us, so she had had her tubes tied. All was good I guess until I was fifteen and my mother was pregnant again. My father had wanted her to end the pregnancy, because the doctor had told them that it might kill her if they proceeded with it, but my mother prevailed and I have my younger brother, Ronin. He's ten right now and even though mom almost died trying to have him, I'm glad he's here. He's the greatest kid brother anyone could have. Mom had to have a hysterectomy after Ronin, but I think she was okay with it because she finally gave dad a son." Rukia said thinking back to last weekend when Ronin had been bursting because he wanted to so badly tell her and Momo what he had gotten them for Christmas. "And you know my cousin Nemu, her mother is Aunt Retsu."

Ichigo nearly drove off the road. "Retsu Unohana is your aunt."

Rukia tried not to laugh at the look on Ichigo's face. When he realized what he must look like he tried to go back to his old school scowl. Rukia leaned over and kissed his cheek. His face softened. "Yeah, she is my mother's sister. Her husband and younger daughter were murdered ten years ago." Rukia stopped for a moment and looked out the window and saw them driving into her complex.

Rukia pointed out where they needed to go for him to park the car. As soon as they parked Rukia led him the way to her door.

* * *

Momo walked into Toushirou's office and closed the door behind her. He looked up at her curious. She stared at him, wondering what would happen if she was in Rukia's shoes. She stared into his turquoise eyes and found what she needed. She smiled and walked over and sat in his lap and wrapped her arms around him and she lay against him. 

Toushirou was suddenly worried about his fiancée. He wrapped his arms around her in response. "What's wrong?"

"I need to talk to someone." Momo said snuggling closer to him taking in his delightful scent.

"Okay." Toushirou said waiting for her to continue and hoping that her father would not walk in; not that he would care. But he still wanted to be respectful to his future father-in-law.

* * *

Retsu let herself into her sister's house and found Hisana in the library helping Ronin with his homework. 

Hisana got up and hugged her sister and Ronin greeted her the same. Retsu sat down with them. _It's amazing at how much he looks like his father more and more everyday. _Retsu turned her gaze from her nephew to her sister who was watching her.

"What's going on?" Hisana asked.

"What do you mean?" Retsu asked trying to look over at Ronin's homework to see if she could help.

Hisana got up and pulled her out of the library into another room. "I mean all of a sudden you want to eat dinner with us, when you don't normally leave work during this month. And Momo called and said Nemu and Rangiku were also going to join the rest of us for dinner. Something's going on that I don't know about and I want to know what it is!" Hisana demanded of her sister.

Retsu looked at her. "I can't tell you." Retsu replied knowing that her sister knew her too well.

Hisana stared back at her trying to get any information she could from her sister's stare, but she could discern anything. She finally sighed and gave up. She knew whatever it was she would probably find out tonight. "So how's Rukia?"

Retsu hoped she hid her surprise well. For a second she thought she knew, but then realized word must of gotten around about her going to the hospital to see her for something that morning. She also didn't think Rukia would be going back to work today either. "She'll be okay." Was all Retsu could say without being forced to go into further detail.

Retsu started to follow Hisana back to the library when a picture caught her eye. It was of her younger daughter. Her hair was pink from the color spray they had spent most of the day spraying into her hair for the play that night. Her eyes were lit up and a huge smile was etched upon her face. Retsu reached her fingers out to the picture and traced the outlines of her daughter's face. A single tear rolled down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away before following her sister into the hallway.

* * *

Rukia looked over at the clock on her nightstand. It read five o'clock. She sat up in bed and looked over at the man passed out next to her. She knew she was already falling for him. She didn't want to admit it, but she was. _What about that deal? What if he wanted to leave after the year was up? Would she be able to let him go?_ She wondered what to do and when she ran her fingers through his hair, he woke up. He smiled at her and pulled her down into his arms. 

"We need to get ready to go." Rukia uttered as he started to kiss down her neck.

"Go where?" He asked.

"To my parents, dinner, you know to tell them things." Rukia said trying to push him back but was being unsuccessful in her attempt.

He looked at her. "Shower, then?" Ichigo said smiling.

Rukia smiled back. She hoped they wouldn't be late.

* * *

Byakuya sat down at the table and noticed that several people looked nervous. He wondered what was going on. 

Momo tried to avoid her father's gaze. She knew that if she looked at him, he would find out what was going on and she didn't want to do that to her sister. Their father knew though that if he wanted any information to go to her.

Byakuya knew something was wrong when Momo wouldn't meet his gaze. She was the easiest of his children to get information out of. He was about to question her when the doorbell chimed. He noticed a few of the people look at each other. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like whatever he was about to find out.

* * *

**A/N – **Woohoo – two chapters at once. So how's the story going? Are people still with me? I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday yesterday!! 


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Bleach. Insert funny comment

**Warnings: **This is an AU story – so bear with me

**Pairings: **Mainly Ichiruki

**A/N:** Many thanks to my beta, ForeverSam, for helping me and giving me enough confidence to actually post this story This is my first fanfic, so please be gentle.

* * *

**Accidental Bliss**

_By: akirk85029_

* * *

Ichigo and Rukia stood at the massive door waiting for it to be answered. Ichigo looked down at his dark charcoal suit and was glad Rukia had an iron, since they did not have enough time to swing by his place for a change in clothes. Rukia was wearing the same top and jacket but she had opted to wear the pants that went with her suit instead of the skirt. 

Rukia looked over at Ichigo and thought about how good he looked in that suit. She felt bad about not being able to get him a change in clothes, which was why she was wearing part of the same outfit that she had been in most of the day.

Ichigo caught Rukia looking at him with a smile on her face. "I know; I look good don't I?" He stated smirking.

Rukia froze. _Damn it, he caught me! _"As if!" She retorted trying to deflect her embarrassment.

Ichigo chuckled and bent down. "You look good too!" And then he kissed her.

Rukia couldn't help the smile that had appeared on her face before he kissed her and was being carried away with the kiss that she didn't notice the door open until she heard someone cough to get their attention.

Rukia and Ichigo both nearly jumped and turned towards the door. Rukia sighed in relief. "Hi Hisagi." She said happy that it was only him.

Hisagi stepped back to give them enough room to enter the foyer. Rukia then introduced the two men to each other. Hisagi and Ichigo greeted each other nonchalantly and Hisagi watched as Ichigo put an arm around Rukia's waist. Hisagi needed to report the new information to his superior, Soi Fon, in case they were needed later. He excused himself from the couple and soon disappeared from sight.

Rukia turned to Ichigo after Hisagi left. "He is second in command of my father's security force."

"Force! Not detail or team, but a force!" Ichigo said trying to grasp how powerful and influential her father might really be. "What's with the tattoo on his face?" Ichigo asked to change the subject.

Rukia sighed. "Well, they handle security not only here but at the building my father owns downtown and I try not to think about the tattoo!" Rukia said while trying to keep a straight face and led Ichigo to the dining room where she was sure everyone was waiting for them.

* * *

Byakuya looked over as his eldest child walked into the room with a man with bright orange hair. _No, no way in hell!_ Byakuya eyes narrowed as he watched Ichigo place his hand on the small of Rukia's back as they walked to their seats. He thought the staff must have miscounted on the seating number but he now realized someone knew they were coming. He looked around the room and immediately knew who knew and who didn't. 

Rukia introduced Ichigo to her parents as they took their seats. She sat next to her Aunt Retsu with Ichigo on the other side of her. Her father was at the head of the table on the other side of Retsu. Hisana was on his other side followed by Ronin, Momo, Toushirou, Nemu and Rangiku.

Hisana looked over at her husband. She knew he was overprotective of their daughters. She had been so surprised when he easily allowed Toushirou to start dating Momo and even more so when he gave his permission for them to marry. Of course Toushirou was Byakuya's right hand man at work so she was sure that was the reason why he trusted him with Momo. She had a feeling this Ichigo was not going to get the same easy approval.

Byakuya didn't say anything as the first course was being served. He studied the boy beside Rukia. "So Kurosaki, where do you work?" Byakuya asked coolly trying to disqualify him as soon as possible.

"He's one of my interns." Retsu answered for him.

Byakuya turned to her and she just smiled back at him. She, like her sister, was not scared of him. Retsu turned to her niece as she felt her tap her shoulder.

Rukia leaned over to her aunt, "By the way, I need to have a talk with you later." She whispered.

Retsu tried not to grin. "You can't really be upset with me, otherwise he wouldn't be here!" She quietly said, nodding her head towards Ichigo.

Rukia opened and closed her mouth a couple of times. She tried to really think of a reason for her to be mad, but she couldn't. Sighing, she turned back to her soup. Well maybe, if things hadn't of gone as they did she would have been upset with her aunt, but for once things had turned slightly in her favor. She wondered how long that would really last.

"So Ichigo, what is your family like?" Hisana asked hoping to get to know the boy better.

"Well, my father is a doctor and I have two sisters that are in their senior year of college." Ichigo replied to his unsuspecting mother-in-law.

"Twins?" Hisana asked trying to keep the conversation going. She suspected that he was not much of a talker.

"Yes, fraternal." Ichigo simply replied.

Hisana watched as Rukia caught Ichigo's eye and saw him smile when she smiled. Even though it was a barely there smile Hisana had caught it. _Things are getting more interesting. _She then noted that Byakuya had tensed up next to her, apparently he had noticed the same thing. Hisana inwardly smiled perhaps he was seeing the same signs that were there when they had started dating so long ago. She hoped he would give the boy a chance especially if he was making Rukia smile.

Ronin had interrupted her thoughts when he suddenly asked Ichigo if he was related to a Karin Kurosaki.

"Yes, she's one of my sisters." Ichigo responding to Ronin's query.

"Really, can I meet her? I watch all her games!" Ronin said suddenly very excited.

Ichigo chuckled. "Sure, whenever you want."

"What games?" Momo asked her brother curious to learn more about her brother-in-law.

"Soccer." Ronin responded sounding offended that she didn't know who he was talking about.

Momo tried not to laugh at her brother as she turned to look at Toushirou. He smiled at her before taking a sip of his drink.

Rukia looked up at the main course that was about to be served. It was stuffed pheasant. She turned to Ichigo. "I can't eat that right now." She said her face was paler than normal.

"What do you want to do?" Ichigo asked, prepared to do whatever she wanted.

Rukia turned to her mother. "I'm going to give Ichigo a tour of the house." Rukia stated as she stood up trying not to show her dizziness as she quickly made her way out of the suddenly stuffy room. Ichigo followed quickly behind her.

Retsu watched as they left the room. She had a pretty good idea as to why they were leaving the room. She turned back to the table and saw that her sister was staring intently at her.

Byakuya watched the two leave and knew he did not want them wondering around the house by themselves, but Hisana put her hand over his and he decided to leave it alone. For now.

* * *

Rukia and Ichigo were walking down a long hall with Rukia pointing out different rooms as they passed. 

Ichigo looked at all the cherry blossoms in the vases as they passed by. "Where do you find blooms this time of year?" He asked curious and trying not to pay attention to the expensive paintings that laced the hall.

"Oh, we have a conservatory and it has artificial weather, so right now the flowers don't know that it's winter." Rukia stated as if it was normal.

Ichigo then noticed that she walked passed a door without telling him what kind of room it was. "What's in here?" He asked pointing to said door.

"Nothing of interest!" Rukia said while walking farther ahead hoping he would just follow, and not inquiry about the room any further.

Ichigo watched her walk away. _Was this her room? Why didn't she want him to see it? _Curiosity got the better of him and he opened the door and walked in. As he turned on the lights he stopped dead in his tracks.

Rukia whirled around as she heard the door open and ran to stop him but she was too late. She walked around to the face him and noticed he was standing there with his mouth gaping open like an idiot. She closed her eyes and waited for it.

"I think I've died and gone to bunny hell!" Ichigo said staring around the room in total disbelief. There was a display shelf that went around the room and had stuffed rabbits all the way around. There were bunnies painted on the wall. There were stuffed bunnies on the bed and, if that wasn't enough, the comforter had rabbits on them as well.

Rukia glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't be so dramatic!"

Ichigo tried not to laugh at her acting so defensive. He continued his scan of the room and then an idea struck him. "Do they have names?"

Rukia refused to look him in the eye.

Ichigo knew he had her. "They do, don't they?"

Rukia turned around and punched him in the arm. "Don't make fun of me." She threatened.

Ichigo rubbed him arm. _Damn, she can hit hard!_ He smiled at her as she crossed her arms again and turned from him. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "Ahhh, don't be mad my little _bunny_, at least now I have some blackmail material!" He said in jest.

Somehow Rukia had still managed to elbow him in the stomach. He kept her in his embrace but turned her around to face him.

Rukia tried not to smile as Ichigo came closer leaning in to kiss her. She slowly un-wrapped her arms from herself and slid them around Ichigo's waist. As their lips were about to meet they were interrupted.

"Both of you. Downstairs. _Now._" Byakuya demanded before they could proceed any further.

Rukia had nearly yelped when she heard her father's voice. She followed said man as he turned sharply around and went back into the hallway. Ichigo had no choice but to follow the both of them. He watched as when her father walked briskly by the cherry blossoms, several petals would fall from each bloom and twirl to the floor. _No, they weren't twirling. They were slicing. Can petals slice through air? _Ichigo suddenly had a sense of dread that he hadn't felt before now.

* * *

The three of them entered the formal living room where the others apparently were waiting for them. They stopped talking as if the air was suddenly sucked from their lungs. Momo scooted closer to Toushirou and he took one of her hands into his. 

"So what is going on?" Byakuya started still upset at what he witnessed. "First you do not show up for work today and apparently you're not sick." he went on when his daughter didn't answer.

"Dad, it's not what you think!" Rukia said trying to put up some kind of defense. "I did go see Aunt Retsu this morning." She blurted out.

Byakuya looked over at Retsu.

"She did see me this morning." Retsu confirmed quietly.

Byakuya turned back to Rukia for further explanation.

"See, Dad, well.." Rukia looked at her father. Ichigo took her hand into his and she felt stronger. _I can do this._ "…I'm pregnant. I'm going to have a baby!" She finished happy to have it out in the open.

Before anyone could do or say anything, all of a sudden, Byakuya was next to Rukia and Ichigo was sprawled out on the floor. No one had even seen him move.

"DAD!" Rukia shouted as she threw herself between the two men. Everyone else sat back in silence not wanting to draw any unwanted attention to themselves right now. "We got married today." Rukia said hoping it would help the situation.

Byakuya's closed his eyes and then took a step back looking at his daughter as if he had never seen her before, and suddenly Rukia felt very small at that moment, like when she was seven and had broken a very expensive vase because she had been running around after she had been warned not to.

Ichigo sat up rubbing his chin. He didn't know her father could move that fast or hit that hard. He got up and stood next to Rukia; he was ready to fight if she needed protection.

Hisana just sat there staring at them. She couldn't believe her ears. She almost wanted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

"Rukia how could you be so irresponsible?" Byakuya asked with ice biting the air.

Rukia tried to respond, she opened her mouth to answer but when nothing came, she closed it again. She didn't know how to respond to him.

"Leave her alone, she didn't do anything wrong!" Ichigo said glaring at his father-in-law ready for a fight.

"Ten million" Byakuya said keeping his eyes focused on his unwanted son-in-law barely acknowledging the fact that Soi Fon and Hisagi had just entered the room ready for his orders.

Both Ichigo and Rukia looked at him confused. "What?" They asked in unison.

Byakuya pointed to Ichigo. "Ten million and you walk away. The marriage will be annulled and the pregnancy aborted."

"BYAKUYA!" Hisana yelled his name while standing up. She really couldn't believe what she was hearing now.

Byakuya ignored his wife and stared at the two.

"I don't want any of your money!" Ichigo spat out his face contorted in rage.

"I can't believe you would think that I would kill my own child!" Rukia managed to choke out with hurt evident in her voice. She placed a hand on her stomach stepping closer to Ichigo.

"Rukia, he's not-" but before he could finish Rukia interrupted him this time.

"No, you don't know anything about him, you can't say that!" She cried out angrily.

Ichigo couldn't explain the feeling in his chest watching Rukia defend him and their unborn child. "Come on, Rukia, let's just go." Ichigo said wanting to get her out of there so she could calm down.

Rukia nodded her head and looked at everyone else in the room silently saying good night to them all.

"Rukia, you disappoint me." Byakuya stated coldly before he turned and walked out of the room motioning for Soi Fon and Hisagi to stay behind.

Ichigo turned to his wife and watched as she bit her lip to keep the tears from escaping her eyes. He put his arm around her and walked with her out the door.

* * *

"That could have gone better!" Retsu said breaking the unearthly silence that was in the room after the three left. 

Hisana turned to her sister. "And you couldn't warn me? Any of you?" She said looking at the rest of the group all of whom had their head turned downwards.

Hisana got up to follow her husband to try and get him to calm down before this got even more out of hand.

"Aunt Retsu?" Ronin turned to his aunt.

"Yes." She said looking down into his sad eyes.

"Is Dad mad because Rukia's having a baby?" Ronin asked worried about his sister.

"I think it might be more that she is not doing things the proper way, you know following the rules of society." Retsu said taking her nephew into her arms to comfort him. "Don't worry, they'll be okay once the shock wears off."

Ronin then smiled. He had hope in his eyes. "Does this mean that I'll be an uncle?"

"It sure does." Retsu said happy to see the sadness gone from his face.

* * *

Rukia had silently cried on the way home before making Ichigo stop and grab some food from a drive-through. She may be upset, but that didn't mean that the baby wouldn't let her know when it was hungry and boy was she hungry. Ichigo had stared at her when she said she wanted a double burger, with fries and a strawberry milkshake. Rukia had ignored the twitch in his eye at her choice in drink. 

Ichigo now sat across from Rukia at her table and felt useless. He didn't know what to say to make her feel better about what had happened.

"I'm sorry." Ichigo said looking into her eyes trying to let her know he truly was sorry for the way things went at dinner.

Rukia looked at him confused. "What for?"

"For everything." Ichigo replied while shrugging his shoulders and stuffed a fry into his mouth.

Rukia took a deep breathe and said. "You didn't do anything wrong. My father was just being...well, you know!"

Ichigo then threw a fry at her. She glared at him and then smiled. A real smile. And Ichigo felt better.

* * *

**A/N -** Okay, so what did everyone think? Also for some side notes, ten million USD equals 1,083,800,000 JPY. Had to do a conversion calculator, because I was curious after writing this and I wanted to show how wealthy the family really is that him dropping that kind of money is nothing to him. Anyways for anyone that is curious, Ronin means Samurai without a master - which I thought fit for being a Kuchiki. Okay, I think I'm done rambling! I hope that this chapter was satisfactory for everyone! 


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Bleach. Insert funny comment

**Warnings: **This is an AU story – so bear with me

**Pairings: **Mainly Ichiruki

**A/N:** Many thanks to my beta, ForeverSam, for helping me and giving me enough confidence to actually post this story This is my first fanfic, so please be gentle.

* * *

**Accidental Bliss**

_By: akirk85029_

* * *

Hisana found Byakuya in his study staring out the window into the cool darkness. She walked over in front of him and sat down in the window seat blocking his view. 

"Did they leave?" Byakuya asked softly.

"What do you think?" Hisana stated glad that he had calmed down somewhat.

Byakuya finally looked at his wife and sighed. He would never admit to anyone, except Hisana, that he was upset at even his own behavior this night but he had been totally unprepared for his daughter's announcements this evening. _At least Momo was following the rules, even though Toushirou Hitsugaya was from a lower ranking noble family, he was still from a noble family_. He needed to think of a way to dissolve the possible scandal. What he needed was information.

"What are you planning to do?" Hisana said walking to him and sitting in his lap. "She's not five anymore. You can't keep her sheltered from the world. She needs to be able to live her own life."

Byakuya didn't respond. He closed his eyes and tried to continue to think of ways to salvage the situation. _I could just have the boy dispatched; _it wasn't entirely out of his reach_. No one would ever find the body; _that much he was sure of What he wasn't sure of was how Rukia would handle it if he did that. Despite his behavior tonight he did actually care for his children's happiness, it just happened that sometimes it conflicted with other priorities.

Hisana watched him and traced a finger down the side of his face. "Besides do you think Retsu would allow him to be around our daughter if she didn't think he was a good person?" She asked placing a soft kiss on his lips hoping he was listening to her.

* * *

Hisana walked back into the formal living room after being unsuccessful in getting her husband to talk – as she usually was when he was in one of those moods – and noticed everyone was still there. 

"I thought everyone left." She said questioning everyone.

"I'm sorry, mother, we didn't think…we'll we just didn't think." Momo said with her head still hanging down. Toushirou moved an arm around her to comfort her.

Hisana smiled at the two. _They are so cute together. _"Well, I can't say things are going to be instantly better, but I hope your father will at least give Ichigo a chance." Though she wouldn't bet her life on it, she wanted to let her daughter have some kind of peace of mind.

Momo looked at her mother, hoping that she believed what she was telling them. Momo turned to her own fiancé and kissed his cheek lightly. She hoped Rukia was doing okay. She needed to call her later or maybe tomorrow depending on when she went home.

Ronin walked up to his mother and hugged her. "Can I call Rukia?" He asked wanting to see if his sister was okay. Momo gave him a strange look almost wondering if her brother could read minds.

Hisana smiled. "Tomorrow, okay. Go sit with your sister." She said as she sent him over to Momo who pulled him down next to her and ruffled his hair to which he returned a glare at his sister who smiled sweetly at him.

"So? tell me about him. I assume you all have met him before!" Hisana asked curiosity finally showing itself.

"Well, I didn't meet him until tonight either." Toushirou said while running a hand through his white hair.

"Pssh, no one asked you." Rangiku said while moving to a much closer chair ignoring the vein that was pulsing on Toushirou's forehead. She did love to annoy her boss.

"He seems to really care for her." Rangiku said happy to be talking. She watched as Soi Fon left the room and winked at Hisagi before he followed as well, but not before giving Rangiku a playful smile.

"He's a very responsible person. I think he will be good to her." Retsu added to Rangiku's remark.

"So did you introduce them?" Hisana finally asked.

"No, actually I don't know how they met." Retsu responded looking to the girls.

"None of us know either." Nemu replied to her mother's gaze. Rangiku and Momo nodded in agreement. It just wasn't something they hadn't thought to ask earlier at lunch.

* * *

Byakuya turned towards the door when he heard the soft knock and beckoned whoever was behind the door to enter. He watched as his head of security entered. 

"I need you to gather all information you can on Ichigo Kurosaki." Byakuya instructed.

"Yes sir." Soi Fon replied bowing before leaving her employer's presence to complete the given task.

* * *

Rukia strained her eyes. She slowly made out the red numbers on her clock. It was six-thirty in the morning. _Why was she awake at this ungodly hour on a Saturday? _She groaned as she felt an arm tighten around her. _Oh yeah, that's why, she felt like she was being squeezed to death. _

She finally pried Ichigo's arm from around her and sat up in bed. His face was furrowed. She wondered if he was having a bad dream. She brought her fingers up to his face and ran them along his face. She smiled when his face relaxed. She was about to lay back down when a phone on the floor started ringing. She watched as Ichigo turned over and brought her pillow on top of his head to block out the unwanted sound.

She sighed and crawled over him to reach down onto the floor and see who was calling. Ichigo peered from under the pillow to watch her.

Rukia glanced at the caller id and saw that it read 'Psycho Father'. She smiled. She remembered that he thought his father was crazy.

"Ichigo." Rukia said.

"Mhmmm?" Was all the reply that she received.

She pulled the pillow from atop his head. "It's your father, it might be important."

"Believe me it's not." Ichigo said.

"But Ichigo, what if it's an emergency." Rukia said thinking that was the only reason to be calling this early.

"Answer it if you want." Ichigo said turning onto his back placing his hands behind his head.

Rukia flipped the phone open. "Hello?"

Isshin grinned. "Hello, dear, does my son happen to be there?" He asked trying to sound innocent.

"Yes." She replied. "Is anything wrong?" She asked.

"No nothing." Isshin said carefully planning his next move.

Rukia looked quizzically at Ichigo. Ichigo shrugged his shoulders as if saying 'I told you so.'

"Would you and my son care to join us for lunch today?" Isshin asked politely, trying not to shout for joy.

"Uhmm, okay." Rukia answered.

"Great, my ungrateful son knows the way. My house. Noon." Isshin said quickly before hanging up so she couldn't undo the invite. Now he had a lot more planning to do.

Rukia closed the phone. "Well we're going to your dad's for lunch today." She said looking at him.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "The idiot, calling this early for that." _Not that he had a good reason for ever calling me._

"I think he's up to something." Rukia said tapping a finger against her bottom lip.

Ichigo chuckled. "Wouldn't surprise me."

Rukia didn't have much time to think though before she was running to the bathroom. She had made it just in time before she was reliving her dinner in reverse. Ichigo followed her in, filled a cup with water and bent down to help pull her hair back out of her way.

* * *

It was now ten o'clock on the beautiful Saturday morning. They had just picked up Rukia's car from the hospital and she was following Ichigo to his place so he could grab some new clothes and other things to bring to her place. 

She got out of the car and followed Ichigo to his apartment. "So how come we don't stay here?" Rukia asked as they entered his apartment, knowing his place was bigger than her current place.

"Well, I have a roommate, so your place offers more privacy." Ichigo replied giving her a suggestive look as he headed towards his room.

Rukia smiled as she looked around the living room. She didn't have much time to look around the last time she was here. She ran her finger along the edge of the brown leather couch. She walked over to the bookcase and saw several books filled with works from Shakespeare and she rolled her eyes. She had hated reading his stuff in high school. Just looking at those books brought back painful memories of writing paper after paper each year. She quickly turned away and went and sat on the couch.

Ichigo emerged from his room in new clothes with a bag and noticed Rukia sitting on the couch with her eyes closed. He placed his bag on the floor and sat down next to her. Rukia opened her eyes when she felt Ichigo place his hand on her stomach.

"What do you think about getting a new place? You know, not yours, not mine, but ours." Ichigo finally asked.

Rukia turned her head to him and placed her hand over his. "I think that would be a good idea."

Ichigo leaned back against the couch. "How come you only live in a one bedroom anyway?" He asked not trying to be rude, but knowing that she had a lot of money to lean back on.

Rukia just shrugged her shoulders. "I know it probably sounds stupid, but I just wanted to be normal even if it was just for a little while." She responded not looking into his eyes, she didn't want to know if he thought that was lame.

Ichigo placed a finger on her chin and drew her gaze over to his face. "Why would I think that is stupid?" He asked feeling that he might know the answer.

Rukia was relieved to know that he wasn't mocking her in any way. "Let's just say, it's nice to think some people want to be your friend because of you and not how much money you have." She said trying to hide the sadness in her voice.

Ichigo didn't ask anymore, he didn't like the sad look in her eyes. He returned his hand to her stomach and ran his fingers across the top of her jeans. He didn't know why, but he wanted to constantly touch her, it was like she was an addiction and he couldn't get enough. He noticed that she tensed up and he smiled. He liked how she reacted to his touch.

Rukia stopped his hand from its gradual movement. "We need to go if we're going to drop off one of the cars at my place before going to your dad's." She said before they got carried away again.

* * *

After they had dropped off Rukia's car back at her place, Ichigo was driving them to his father's house. Ichigo really hoped his father wasn't going to cause too much mischief but he really didn't know what his father was planning right now. 

Ichigo stopped the car and turned off the engine. Rukia was about to get out when she noticed Ichigo wasn't moving to do the same. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, hopefully." Ichigo replied. "I was just trying to figure out what far-fetched scheme he has up his sleeve right now."

Ichigo removed the keys from the ignition. "Well let's get this over with." Ichigo said getting out of the car. Rukia got out as well. Ichigo walked to her and took her hand into his lacing their fingers together as they made their way to the front door of his childhood home.

* * *

**A/N : **I had a hard time with this chapter. Hopefully I didn't destroy it too much. Of course next chapter will be his family's reaction to the news. Already on page 3 for chapter 6, so it shouldn't be quite as long of a wait as this one was. And I want to thank each and every one of my reviewers - you don't know how much I appreciate it!! 


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Bleach. Insert funny comment

**Warnings: **This is an AU story – so bear with me

**Pairings: **Mainly Ichiruki

**A/N:** Many thanks to my beta, ForeverSam, for helping me and giving me enough confidence to actually post this story This is my first fanfic, so please be gentle.

* * *

**Accidental Bliss**

_By: akirk85029_

* * *

Ichigo led Rukia into the house and motioned for her to stay put as he took a few steps further in. And just as he suspected his father came flying out of nowhere to land a kick to his face, which he side-stepped and sent his father into the wall.

Rukia had to bite back a scream when she saw Ichigo being attacked but just watched as he moved effortlessly to the side, sending the other man crashing into a wall, like he had been doing it all his life. She looked at Ichigo who just gave her a smirk.

"Ahh…my son, you have learned much under my tutelage!" Isshin exclaimed while in a heap on the floor. As Isshin picked himself up he turned his attentions to the woman who walked over next to his son. "And is this beautiful creature the young lady I talked to this morning?" Isshin asked smiling.

Rukia blushed at his statement. "I'm Rukia." She stated holding her hand out to him.

Isshin ignored her hand and pulled her into a hug. Rukia tentatively returned the hug and Ichigo pried his father off before he could do any damage.

"Dad, can't you act normal for once in your life?" Ichigo asked, pulling Rukia back to his side.

Isshin grinned. "Come in, everyone's waiting."

Ichigo stopped. "What do you mean _everyone_?" Ichigo asked beginning to get a grasp of what his old man was up to.

They turned the corner and were greeted by a room full of people.

Isshin cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention. The room fell silent as everyone realized that Ichigo and the mystery woman were there. Isshin was about to start introductions when Ichigo interrupted him. "Dad, I'll do intros, I don't trust you." Ichigo stated plainly earning a few chuckles from the crowd.

Ichigo started with the girl with shoulder length honey blond hair. "This is my sister, Yuzu" then he pointed to the girl with her short black hair barely pulled back into a ponytail, "this is my other sister, Karin" then proceeded around the room, "My roommate Renji, his girlfriend Tatsuki, my friend's Chad and Uryu, Uryu's wife Orihime, my dad's friends, Kisuke and his wife, Yoruichi and their son, Benjiro." Ending with the young man who looked a lot like his father. Ichigo scrutinized the young man, he knew 'Ben' was dating Karin and Ichigo wasn't sure if he was entirely comfortable with that or even the fact that his sisters were dating at all. _At least it's Karin, she would kick his ass if he did something._ _If it had been Yuzu things would be a lot different._ Ichigo turned to Rukia, slid his arm around her waist, and said "Everyone this is my wife, Rukia."

They waited.

Surprisingly Orihime was the first to truly register what he said. She started jumping for joy and shouting "Congratulations!"

Isshin nearly choked on his drink that he had grabbed during introductions. He hadn't been expecting that, but he was thrilled none the less. He squealed like a little girl and grabbed the both of them into a bear hug.

Ichigo freed them from his father and they sat down at the table where everyone else was already seated.

"My son is finally growing up!" Isshin shouted merrily as he headed into the kitchen.

Ichigo brought his hand up to his head; he was starting to get a headache. He always got one whenever he had prolonged contact with his so-called father. Rukia smiled at everyone unsure of what to say.

"Ichigo, did you really get married without us?" Yuzu asked, clearly upset.

Ichigo looked at his sister who looked close to tears. "I'm sorry, Yuzu." He offered to her hoping that it would help.

Isshin started placing glasses of champagne in front of everyone and was surprisingly quiet while Ichigo and Yuzu were talking. He knew Yuzu needed an explanation plus he was curious.

Ichigo looked over to Rukia, "Plus, I think if we had met your parents first, we wouldn't be here right now."

Rukia smiled. "You're right."

"I take it your father wasn't happy." Kisuke stated to Rukia, clearly amused.

Ichigo smirked. "I think her father hates me and I wouldn't be surprised if he hasn't already ordered a hit out on my life." Ichigo stated while rubbing his chin. He was surprised he didn't have a bruise.

This caused several snickers from the group.

Isshin raised his glass. "Well, despite my son's inability to make a good impression on his in-laws, I would like to make a toast to my son and my new daughter-in-law." Every one grabbed the glass of champagne in front of them and Isshin carefully watched as Rukia picked up the glass of water instead. _Now that was the kind of information I was expecting._

Ichigo glared at his father trying to gage what form of embarrassment he was about to cause him.

"May your lives be filled with happiness, love, and great sex," Ichigo and Rukia both heavily blushed which caused Isshin to grin even more before continuing, "and may your child be like me!" Isshin then took a drink from his glass followed by Kisuke and Yoruichi. Everyone else turned to look at Isshin because of his last statement.

Ichigo put his glass down after having taken a sip. "How did you find out old man?"

All eyes slowly turned now to Ichigo.

Isshin never dropped his grin. "I never reveal my sources."

"You're having a baby?" Yuzu asked timidly.

Ichigo turned to her and smiled. Yuzu jumped up and ran to him and hugged him and turned to Rukia to hug her. She was now thrilled with everything.

Karin slowly put down her glass and watched as everyone else was offering their 'congrats'. She wasn't sure of what to make of the situation. She was going to watch Rukia; if she was going to hurt her brother she was going to end this now before it got any further.

"So Rukia, what do you do?" Karin asked trying to see if it was possible that Rukia was looking for a life on easy street by being married to a doctor.

"Karin, I know this is sudden. If it makes you feel any better I have my Master's Degree in Business and I am a supervisor at Kuchiki Enterprises." Rukia said hoping to appease her sister-in-law.

Ichigo leaned into Rukia. "You conveniently left out that your father owns that company." He whispered into her ear before kissing her lightly on her face right next to her ear.

Rukia pushed him away and Ichigo took her hand into his and reached for his glass with his other hand.

Karin watched their interaction. She had actually never seen her brother be so affectionate towards someone. When Rukia looked back towards Karin, she nodded her head letting Rukia know that she was considering giving her a chance.

"Hey" Renji stated causing him to now be the center of attention, "I just received a position with Kuchiki Enterprises. I'm supposed to start work on Monday." Renji stated in response to finding out where Rukia works.

"Really?" Ichigo asked wondering if there was a way to torture his longtime friend. Ichigo turned to Rukia. "Renji just got out the military after serving the required time for his scholarship." Rukia nodded in acknowledgment. He turned back to Renji. "So who are you supposed to work with?"

"I think with Mr. Kuchiki himself. It's a newly created position within the company." Renji said proudly.

Yoruichi watched Rukia. When she heard the name Kuchiki, she immediately knew whose daughter she was. She wondered why they weren't mentioning the fact that Rukia was the daughter of _the_ Byakuya Kuchiki. She looked over to her husband and knew that he had figured it out as well.

"Maybe she can give you a tour?" Yoruichi volunteered.

Rukia looked at the woman with the purple hair that she had pulled back into a ponytail. _I wonder how she gets her hair that color. _Rukia felt that she knew this woman, but she didn't know from where or how? It was almost like she had a memory that wouldn't surface.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" Rukia asked Yoruichi, not even answering the question.

"I would be impressed if you even had a faint memory of me." Yoruichi grinned. "I used to work for your father a long time ago. You had to of been only about three at the time, I left when I became pregnant." Yoruichi continued and pointed to her now grown son.

Rukia stared at her not really sure of what to ask. "You know who my father is?"

"Of course, I believe Soi Fon has my old job now." Yoruichi replied smiling.

"So where are you going to live?" Renji interrupted with his own interest in mind.

Ichigo shrugged his shoulders. "I'll stay at Rukia's until we find another place, one that can accommodate a baby." He replied happy to move the subject off Rukia's father.

Renji leaned back in his chair and looked at his girlfriend Tatsuki. _Good, that leaves me with the ability to do something I've been wanting to do._

Isshin suddenly popped up behind Rukia and Ichigo. "You two can move in here!" Isshin stated amazed at his own brilliance.

Ichigo threw Isshin's arm off from around him. "No way!" Ichigo shouted.

"Son, how can you be so mean? Don't you care about me at all?" Isshin pouted.

Ichigo banged his head against the table thankful for once that lunch hadn't been served yet.

* * *

Momo looked over as she heard her door being opened and smiled when she saw Toushirou. After all that had happened yesterday she hoped her father wouldn't find out that she and Toushirou had keys to each other's apartments; at least until after her wedding anyway. 

Momo went back to sorting out the lunch she had picked up for them when she felt Toushirou behind her as he wrapped his arms around her waist. He gently placed a kiss on the side of her neck. "I missed you."

Momo giggled. "Silly, you saw me last night." She stated as she moved out of his grasp and placed the plates on the table to start lunch.

"Well there was too much drama last night!" Toushirou stated grumpily as he sat down next to her.

"Oh that reminds me, I need to call Rukia after lunch to see how she's doing. Also I need to call the dress maker because in a month Rukia might not fit into her bridesmaid dress and so we will need to have that adjusted. Oh, I should have Ichigo walk with her which means I need to find someone else for Kira to escort. He's my friend, so I can't kick him out of the wedding party. Maybe I'll ask Rukia for her advice." Momo finished as she took a bite from her meal.

Toushirou raised his eyebrows and just ate. The wedding details he just left up to Momo, he was happy with whatever she wanted.

* * *

Rukia had just finished eating her lunch and was desperately trying to keep her eyes open, but her eyelids felt like they were made out of lead. 

Ichigo turned his head and noticed that Rukia was having a hard time staying awake. He leaned over to her. "Do you want to go upstairs and lay down for a little while?"

Rukia nodded as that was about all she could manage at the moment.

Ichigo stood up and walked around to the other side of Rukia and held his hand out to her. Rukia took his hand and he helped her up and led her upstairs. He took her into his old room and helped her crawl into the bed and before he managed to cover her up she was out like a light.

Ichigo walked downstairs and was greeted by his father.

"That didn't take long my son, are you feeling a little shy?" Isshin asked rather loudly.

"Quit being perverted old man!" Ichigo growled back at this father. "She needed to lie down for a little while." Ichigo was glad that his father dropped the subject and returned to his conversation with Kisuke.

Ichigo sat back down in his chair and continued to eat.

"So what did her father really do?" Yoruichi asked turning the focus back on Ichigo.

"He knocked my ass on the floor!" Ichigo said downing the rest of his champagne.

Yuzu gasped with a hand coming to her mouth. Karin smirked along with several of his friends. Orihime had a similar reaction as Yuzu and the three older adults had the biggest grins on their faces.

"Didn't take the news too well then?" Yoruichi inquired further.

"That's an understatement!" Ichigo replied. "Did you really work for her father?"

"Why would I lie about something like that?" Yoruichi remarked, her voice turning to a dangerous tone.

Ichigo raised his hand to settle her down. "I didn't mean anything by that."

"So is this the same girl that you've been depressed over for the past couple of weeks?" Uryu finally asked, getting into the conversation.

Ichigo's ears turned red and he tried to cough to hide his embarrassment. "I didn't do anything of the sort." He finally sputtered.

Uryu stared at him. "Yeah, and I'm the tooth fairy!"

"She _is_ that girl you were pining over for like the past month or so, isn't she?" Renji added.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Ichigo stated fiercely.

As the boys were teasing Ichigo, Karin made her way into the kitchen where Benjiro was currently adding seconds to his plate.

"So what are you thinking about?" Ben asked as Karin walked in.

"The sudden additions to my family!" Karin stated sourly.

"Why are you upset?" Ben asked looking at her from under his hat.

Karin shrugged her shoulders in a manner similar to her brother. She glared at her boyfriend who was looking at her from under his stupid hat. She hated that hat; it was similar to the one his father wore except his was simply all white. _At least he doesn't wear it all the time like his father._ "I don't know." Was all the answer she had.

"You never were one for quick changes." Ben said earning him a punch in the side from Karin.

"Do you even know who she is?" Ben asked while rubbing his sore side with his free hand.

Karin looked at him suspiciously.

"I'll leave you to figure it out." Ben said leaving the kitchen heading back to the table to eat.

Karin rubbed her hand against her forehead. She was getting a headache now. _What did he mean by that? And what is he not telling me?_ Karin groaned in frustration before heading back out to the dining area.

Isshin leaned over to Yoruichi and Kisuke as Karin made her way to her seat. "Are you two busy on Monday?" Isshin asked eying the group to make sure no one was listening to their conversation.

"Not really, why?" Yoruichi asked not sure she really wanted to know.

"I need your help putting the next phase of my plan into action." Isshin stated grinning widely.

* * *

**A/N - **Okay, so what did you think? Anybody have any guesses on what Isshin is going to do? For those that are interested, Benjiro means Peace, which I thought was a little ironic being Kisuke and Yoruichi's son. I'm sure there wouldn't be a lot of peaceful moments in that household. hehe. As always, please let me know what you think!! 


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Bleach. Insert funny comment

**Warnings: **This is an AU story – so bear with me

**Pairings: **Mainly Ichiruki

**A/N:** Many thanks to my beta, ForeverSam, for helping me and giving me enough confidence to actually post this story This is my first fanfic, so please be gentle.

* * *

**Accidental Bliss**

_By: akirk85029_

* * *

Yoruichi just glared at Isshin and Kisuke had a grin on his face. "Next phase? You didn't have to do anything for even a first phase!" Yoruichi pointed out blatantly.

Isshin smiled. "Who knew my son would complete the first phase for me?"

Yoruichi had to laugh at that.

Ichigo was watching his father as he was whispering with Kisuke and Yoruichi. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like whatever they were planning. Whenever they were quiet, it always ended up meaning disaster for him. He was about to question them when he heard a cell phone ringing. He looked around and noticed it was coming from the purse on the floor next to him. He recognized it as Rukia's purse.

Ichigo propped Rukia's purse on the table and went into it to grab her phone ignoring the curious glances from the people around him. He took out her phone and seeing that it was Rukia's sister; he flipped open her phone. "Hello…no she's asleep at the moment…sure I can do that…hey, why don't you call your friends and come over here. Renji and I will make a beer run and we can make a night of it. All my family and friends are here." Ichigo paused for a moment and when Momo had given him an affirmative answer he gave her the address to the clinic and hung up the phone.

"Son, shouldn't you ask permission before throwing a party in my home?" Isshin asked trying to sound serious but was failing. He enjoyed parties too much.

Ichigo ignored his father as he placed Rukia's phone back in her purse. He noticed a wallet in there and he could see pictures in it. He pulled it out to look.

"Ichigo, should you really be going through your wife's purse?" Uryu scolded.

"Probably not, but what she doesn't know can't hurt her." Ichigo said smirking.

Uryu rolled his eyes.

Renji, Tatsuki, Orihime, Yoruichi, Isshin, Karin and Yuzu crowded around to look at the pictures as well.

Tatsuki looked at one picture. "Isn't that Dr. Unohana?"

"Yeah, she's Rukia's aunt." Ichigo replied looking closer to the wallet sized photo. He had never seen pictures of Dr. Unohana's family, not even the few times he's been in her office.

Tatsuki smirked. "So you're related to the boss now?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes. Tatsuki specialty was in sports medicine and often worked on a different floor than Uryu and him anyway. He pointed to the older girl in the picture. "That must be Nemu."

"Yeah." Yoruichi responded and pointed to the man, Retsu's husband, "that is or was Captain Kenpachi Zaraki, he was head of the local police precinct, and those two are Nemu Zaraki and Yachiru Zaraki, their daughters." Yoruichi continued.

"Zaraki?" Ichigo said not really trying to make it sound like a question.

"Unohana is Retsu's maiden name; she kept it for professional purposes only." Yoruichi answered him.

"Rukia said that her uncle and younger cousin were murdered." Ichigo said which caused Orihime and Yuzu to gasp while others just shook their head solemnly.

"Yes." Yoruichi stated simply; but she did not go into detail.

Chad stood silently on the other side of the room. Being a cop he knew the details of the captain's murder.

Ichigo turned to the next picture and Renji snatched the wallet from his hands.

"Hey!" Ichigo shouted.

"That's Mr. Kuchiki, why does she…oh wait…no way!" Renji said almost in shock. "Is she?"

"Yeah, she's his daughter." Ichigo answered before Renji could finish asking his question.

"Ichigo, you idiot…his daughter…no wonder he wants you dead! Rukia's family is nobility." Renji sputtered out, hoping his job wouldn't be in jeopardy if they found out he's friends with the boss's new son-in-law.

Ichigo just grabbed the wallet and stuffed in back into Rukia's purse. "So what?"

Everyone looked at him incredulously.

Yoruichi sat down next to him.

Ichigo looked at her suspiciously.

"You're too cute." Yoruichi said patting his head.

"Whatever." Ichigo muttered pushing her hand off his head. "Come on Renji, let's go get the drinks."

As Ichigo and Renji were leaving the rest started cleaning the dining room clearing off lunch and Ichigo turned to Yuzu, "Don't worry about dinner, we'll order something in so you don't have to cook."

Yuzu smiled and sighed in relief. She thought she was going to have to make a grocery run to feed everyone for dinner.

* * *

Hisana sat silently in her husband's antique chair in his home office. She had just finished reading the file that was on his desk concerning their son-in-law. Hisana was not a happy person at the moment.

Byakuya walked into his office and quietly closed the door. He noticed his wife sitting straight as a board in his chair. Her posture led him to believe that she was not in a good mood and when he noticed the file on his desk and he could take an educated guess as to why.

"Hisana." Byakuya said softly walking around his desk.

"Byakuya." Hisana responded just as soft. "I read the file."

"I gathered as much." Byakuya responded taking the file from his desk and moving to place it in a secure area.

Hisana walked up behind her husband and wrapped her arms around his waist and moved her hands upwards against his chest. "I want something from you."

Byakuya closed and locked the safe and turned around in his wife's arms, quirking an eyebrow at her.

Hisana smiled. She knew what he was thinking. "Since there was nothing in that file you could use against him, I want your word that you'll give him a chance. I'm only asking for one. It won't kill you."

Byakuya sighed. That was something he didn't want to agree to.

Hisana grabbed his tie and pulled him down to her and kissed him. As she deepened the kiss she could feel his arms wrap around her as well.

When the kiss broke, Byakuya looked at his wife. "So you plan on blackmailing me into this promise?"

Hisana smiled at him mischievously.

* * *

Rukia woke with a start and looked around the room she was in. It took her a second to recall the events leading up to when she went to sleep. She took a closer inspection around what she assumed to be Ichigo's old room.

She heard a lot of commotion going on downstairs and decided it was about time to get up.

After making a quick pit-stop at the bathroom she started to make her way downstairs stopping to look at the pictures littered along the walls on the way.

She smiled when she saw Ichigo in the kitchen placing what appeared to be cases of beer on the counter. "What's going on?"

Ichigo smirked at her. "Look who's decided to join the land of the living!" He said walking over and kissing her lightly.

Ichigo slung an arm around her shoulders and escorted her into the living room where she was greeted by not only everyone that was there during lunch, but by Momo, Nemu, Rangiku, Toushirou, Hisagi, and Kira as well.

* * *

Much later into the evening, Yuzu was walking around picking up empty beer bottles and greasy paper plates from the pizzas that were being consumed. Yuzu and Rukia had collected everyone's keys before the drinking began and only those who were sober would be receiving them back, otherwise they were staying the night. There were several people that were not drinking though; Rukia for obvious reasons, Orihime who was telling Rukia that her and Uryu have been trying to get pregnant themselves; Uryu who claimed that he was 'on call' tonight; and Yuzu, who wasn't much of a drinker anyway.

Yuzu walked into the kitchen disposing of things she had collected. She was trying to keep up with the mess so it wouldn't be so much to clean tomorrow. She heard a few curses come from the living area. Currently Ichigo and Renji were in the middle of a new racing game on the new Play Station and were competing against each other.

Yuzu looked up as someone entered the kitchen. "Hi...Kira, right?"

Kira smiled. "Yeah, do you know where I can put this?" Kira said holding an empty beer bottle.

Yuzu pointed over to the trash.

"Do you want any help?" Kira asked her noticing that she was starting to wash the dishes from earlier in the day.

Yuzu nodded her head. "Sure there's a towel over there."

Kira grabbed a dish towel and started to dry dishes silently beside her. He wanted to talk to her. She was very pretty, but he was too shy to start a real conversation. He had too many disappointments in his life when it came to dating, but she seemed really nice. He wondered if she would be the same as the others and judge him without getting to know him.

Yuzu looked at the man next to her. She wondered why he was so quiet. Half of his hair was down in his face. "Why do you style your hair like that?" Yuzu felt bad when she noticed his flinch and when he downcast his eyes. It was obvious that it was a touchy subject. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to upset you."

Kira studied Yuzu. He knew she was sincere in her apology and he felt bad for making her feel bad. "It's not your fault. It's just to cover a child hood accident." Kira said. _She might as well know so I don't have to wait for her to reject me._

Yuzu was curious now. "Can I see?" _That's probably a rude question. Can I take it back?_

Kira slowly raised his hand.

Yuzu noticed that his hand was shaking as he raised it to his face.

He pulled his hair back and waited for her to ask him to cover it so she wouldn't have to look at his hideousness.

Yuzu looked at the horrible scar that ran from the top of his forehead down the side of his face and along his left cheek. His left eye had a white film over it which gave the eye an eerie look to it. She wondered if he had any sight left in that eye. She absentmindedly reached her hand out and touched his face tracing the scar.

Kira nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt her touch him. He grabbed her hand letting his hair fall back down into his face.

"I'm sorry." Yuzu said softly. She had seen the shocked look on his face. _People must have been mean to him._

Kira didn't say anything. He turned back around and continued to dry the dishes. He didn't know what to do. Momo and her family and Rangiku were the only ones he knew that had ever accepted him and looked past everything.

* * *

Rukia surveyed the living room one more time before she was about to head upstairs. Uryu and Orihime had left taking Kisuke and Yoruichi with them to give them a ride home. Ben and Karin had claimed the spot on the couch. Isshin had retired to his room. Renji and Tatsuki had one spot on the floor as well as Toushirou and Momo. Chad had walked Nemu home. Yuzu was up in the room she and Karin shared; Rukia had noticed that she had placed a piece of paper into Kira's jacket pocket before heading up. Rangiku and Hisagi were in the recliner together. Kira was in another recliner.

Rukia turned around to see Ichigo leaning against a wall. It was probably about two in the morning and she was surprised he was still awake. She walked up to him and he swiftly picked her up into his arms. It took everything she had not to squeal; he had caught her off guard, not that it would matter. She was pretty sure a tornado could go through the living room and no one would wake up.

"What are you doing?" She whispered harshly.

"I'm taking my wife to bed." Ichigo said smirking at her and carried her up the stairs to his old room.

* * *

Rukia woke up early the next morning. She struggled to get free of Ichigo's grasp and crawled over him careful not to wake him. She quietly donned his shirt and boxers before slipping out to make her way downstairs.

Rukia walked into the kitchen to find Yuzu already up.

"Morning Yuzu." Rukia said stifling a yawn.

Yuzu smiled. "Good morning. Are you hungry?"

"Famished!" Rukia replied heartily.

"I'll start breakfast. Maybe everyone will start waking up then." Yuzu said grinning.

Rukia walked around to sit on a barstool across from Yuzu.

"Do you cook, Rukia?" Yuzu asked.

"No, I've burned water before, so I leave cooking to the professionals." Rukia said smiling.

Yuzu laughed before opening the refrigerator to pull out some food.

* * *

Chad jolted awake when he felt an arm tighten around him. He looked down to find Rukia's cousin sleeping next to him. He started to remember things that had happened last night. They both had drunk quite a bit. He brushed her hair out of her face. She was different than he thought she would be considering who her father was. _She must take after her mother. _Chad wrapped an arm around her bringing her closer to him and went back to sleep with a satisfied smile on his face.

* * *

Ichigo woke up to the smell of food and opened his eyes to find Rukia walking into the room with a tray of food and a cup of what smelled like coffee. He noticed she was wearing his shirt and boxers and was oddly happy at the sight.

"Shouldn't I be bringing you breakfast?" Ichigo asked smiling as Rukia handed him the tray.

"Maybe if someone would wake up earlier he could do that." Rukia stated crawling on the bed and leaned against the wall and turned her head to face him.

"Rukia, can I ask you something?" Ichigo asked after taking a few bites.

"Sure." Rukia said wondering what he might ask.

"Why did you leave that night?" Ichigo queried.

Rukia sighed. She wondered when he would go back to that. "Well, I was…I was afraid." Rukia said.

"Of what?" Ichigo asked still unsure if he wanted to know the answers to these questions.

"Of the morning after." Rukia watched as Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "I've never done that before, sleep with someone after one night!"

"Neither have I." Ichigo stated and was surprised at Rukia's stunned look.

"Really?" Rukia asked now.

"Why would you think I have?" Ichigo asked a little hurt at her assumption.

"Well," Rukia began looking intently at her fingers, "I noticed that a lot of women would look at you that night and I realized that you could have your pick of anyone and at first I was suspicious of the reason why you asked me to go to dinner with you and after a while I realized you had no idea who I was especially after you called me a midget," Rukia said shooting a glare to Ichigo at that moment who tried to hid his smile, "I realized that you wouldn't try to piss me off if you knew who I was. Then I felt sub-conscience about my looks when that blond lady slipped her number into your hand right in front of me and it really confused me when you barely even noticed her and threw her number on the floor before we left. I don't know, there are more things you did that night, you just surprised me and I guess I was afraid that you might not really be that great guy."

Ichigo placed his tray to the side and pulled Rukia into his lap his hand cupping her cheek drawing her gaze to him, his thumb stroking her softly. "What kind of guys have you dated that you don't realize how beautiful you are?"

Rukia tried to push his hand away. "You don't have to lie."

Ichigo was starting to get angry. "Don't. I won't have someone talking about my wife like that."

Rukia smiled and leaned against him, her head resting in the crook of his neck. Ichigo wrapped his arms around her, one hand moving to rest on her stomach.

"Come on, let's get dressed so we can head back to your place. We need to change if we're going to meet Uryu on time." Ichigo said reluctantly letting Rukia go.

Rukia stood up and starting getting out of Ichigo's clothes and into hers. "Why are we meeting Uryu?"

"I usually meet with him on Sundays. Twice a month we do his thing, archery and the other times we do my thing, fencing. You want to go, right?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia smiled. "Sounds like fun."

Ichigo grinned. "Good. Let's get out of here."

As Ichigo and Rukia had made their way downstairs they noticed that everyone was finally up and most were eating. Ichigo asked Yuzu where their father was and was informed that he had left early in the morning, destination unknown. Ichigo grabbed their things and bid everyone farewell and led Rukia out the door.

* * *

After leaving Rukia's apartment they made their way to Uryu and Orihime's home. Orihime greeted them happily as they walked around to the back of the house where they were already waiting for them.

The backyard was a large one and the house bordered the woods. There were targets already set up and Uryu was already shooting some arrows.

By the time they stopped for a late lunch, Rukia was beaming proudly at her target which had more bullseyes than Ichigo's, in which he had just regarded as beginner's luck.

They went inside to the dining area and sat down as Orihime brought out trays of finger food. She had said she didn't want to serve too much or it would spoil everyone's dinner.

Orihime pointed out the sandwich triangles which were made of peanut butter, grape jelly, bananas, and pickles; next was crackers with cheese (which was the simplest and safest option); and then some concoction which after Ichigo heard the word fish and bean paste he knew to stop listening before he got sick.

Ichigo leaned over to Uryu when Orihime went back into the kitchen for drinks. "I don't know how you do it man!"

"The things you do for love." Uryu replied sincerely.

Ichigo and Uryu watched in horror as Rukia was mixing several of the appetizers and eating them together. They both shuddered at the thought of all those flavors mixed together.

"I'm going to chalk this up to you being pregnant." Ichigo stated.

"What." Rukia said looking at the two men strangely.

"Nothing." Ichigo said.

Orihime was beaming when she came back and saw Rukia eating her food. Rukia listened as Orihime started talking about her kindergarten class that she taught and was soon led on the 'Wonderful World of Orihime' ride as they broached twenty different subjects in the half hour they were sitting there.

Soon Ichigo and Rukia had to leave as Ichigo had to be at work at six that night for a double shift. Ichigo dropped Rukia off before heading on to the hospital.

* * *

Rukia sat alone in her apart for awhile and worked on some sketches. She couldn't understand how she had come to be so accustomed to Ichigo's presence in such a short time that she felt the loss in his absence.

As she prepared for bed that night she still couldn't believe that Ichigo had altered her life so much that she had a hard time falling asleep without him there next to her.

* * *

Isshin and Yoruichi walked into the Kuchiki building early the next morning with Isshin announcing to everyone that he was there to see his daughter-in-law Rukia Kurosaki in which Yoruichi had to correct him by saying that they know her as Rukia Kuchiki.

Several of the guards either laughed or rolled their eyes. Isshin ignored all of them and waited for them to call up and receive permission.

There were many surprised faces there when the guard received authorization to allow the now grinning man through.

"Shall we, my dear?" Isshin said holding his arm out for Yoruichi.

She linked her arm with his and they proceeded through to the elevators.

As the doors closed anyone close by would have heard the phrase, "Phase Two has commenced!"

* * *

**A/N : **Sorry for the long wait! Things have been crazy around here. Please review and let me know what you all think!! Next chapter you'll find out what Isshin has planned. Happy Valentines Day (even though it's one day early!)!! 


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Bleach. Insert funny comment

**Warnings: **This is an AU story – so bear with me

**Pairings: **Mainly Ichiruki

**A/N:** Many thanks to my beta, ForeverSam, for helping me and giving me enough confidence to actually post this story This is my first fanfic, so please be gentle.

* * *

**Accidental Bliss**

_By: akirk85029_

* * *

Rukia had been staring at her computer screen for a full five minutes trying to complete an email she had been trying to type save for one very annoying distraction namely, Keigo Asano.

Ever since he had started working there he had been trying to charm Rukia and she was so tired of it. She had yelled at him once for attempting to sit on the edge of her desk and he had stayed out of her office for a week. Now he was sitting in one of the dark blue leather chairs across from her desk talking about some club he went to over the week-end. She had scolded him so many times for coming into her office about nonsense that it was pointless to even try anymore. She was mentally picturing bashing his head in with her stapler when her office line chirped. She reached over and hit the speaker button.

"This is Rukia." She stated.

"Ma'am, this is front desk security; we have a gentleman here claiming to be your father-in-law and is requesting permission to see you." The young guard said in a disbelieving voice.

Rukia wondered what Isshin wanted but was so happy that he was there. Now maybe she could get rid of Keigo for good. "Send him up."

"Ma'am?" The guard asked not trusting what he heard.

"You heard me, send him up!" Rukia stated forcefully and hung up the line.

Keigo sat up straight in the chair he was occupying. _This has to be a mistake. I can't have lost her so easily, she's not even dating. _Keigo leaned back into the chair relaxing a bit; he had convinced himself that he had heard everything wrong.

A few minutes later Isshin and Yoruichi strolled into Rukia's office. Rukia stood up to greet them. Isshin pulled Rukia into a hug and eyed the man sitting in her office. Yoruichi separated the two and gave Rukia a hug as well.

"What are you two doing here?" Rukia asked, curious.

Yoruichi shrugged. "I wanted to greet your father so I decided to tag along with _him_-" She pointed to Isshin, "to visit you. By the way, who's your friend?"

"Oh, this is Mr. Asano from our public relations department." Rukia said pointing to Keigo, "Keigo, this is Yoruichi Urahara and Isshin Kurosaki."

"You're Ichigo's father, right?" Keigo asked of Isshin. It had been a number of years since he had seen him last.

"You went to high school with my son, correct?" Isshin asked with a vague recollection of the boy.

"Yes, sir." Keigo replied still not wanting to admit to himself the reason why Isshin might be there.

"Isshin, not that I'm not glad to see you, but you haven't answered my question." Rukia said turning to him.

Isshin smiled trying to not give anything away. "I need the key to your apartment."

"Why?" Keigo blurted out.

Rukia turned sharply to him. "That is none of your business!" She then turned back to Isshin. "Why?"

Isshin tried to keep from laughing. "I figured I might help you and my son get settled since you both are so busy especially with the baby coming. We're going to move his stuff over for you two!" He announced happily.

Rukia tried to refrain from causing any violence. Isshin had just let the cat out of the bag and Keigo had a big mouth. Everyone in the whole building would know about her situation by the end of the day. "Sure."

Rukia bent down to her purse to get her keys; when she pulled them out Isshin snatched the whole keychain out of her hands. Rukia looked at him suspiciously.

"I'll bring them back as soon as we're done." Isshin stated.

Before Rukia could question on why he wanted her whole set of keys, Keigo yelled out rudely, asking if she was really pregnant with Ichigo's baby.

Rukia glared at him with murderous intent but before she could retort Isshin threw his arms around her shoulders. "Yes, my son and his wife are having a baby!" Isshin stated proudly.

"W-Wife?" Keigo stuttered.

"Yep." Isshin said grinning and then started trotting out of Rukia's office.

Keigo left as well. Rukia assumed the rumor mill was about to be a flutter.

"Rukia, can you take us up to your father's office." Yoruichi asked.

"Sure." Rukia said before reaching into her purse for another set of keys which belonged to the office.

Rukia walked into the elevator with Yoruichi and Isshin and inserted a key into the slot for the top floor.

"How do visitors reach your father without a key?" Isshin asked as the elevator started moving.

"A guard will have to ride with them in the elevator and then escort them back down when finished." Rukia replied.

The three of them exited the elevator and found her father at his secretary's desk with his back to them. Renji was on the other side of Byakuya facing them; he smiled at them as they approached.

"Long time, no see." Yoruichi chortled.

Byakuya turned around as if he had been expecting their presence; if he was surprised to see them he did not show it. "Good morning."

Yoruichi laughed. "You haven't changed at all."

Byakuya finally looked directly at Yoruichi. "Neither have you." He turned to Isshin and carefully scrutinized the man. He did not even look at his daughter once. He turned back around when Toushirou exited his office and made his way towards the group.

"Toushirou please take over until I return." Byakuya said nodding slightly towards Renji.

"Yes sir." Toushirou replied, wondering what was going on.

Byakuya bent down and grabbed his briefcase and without another word was in an elevator on his way down to the underground parking garage.

"Wow." Renji said. "Your father must still be mad; he didn't even look at you."

Rukia tried to smile. Her father's icy nature normally didn't phase her, but her hormones were trying to get the best of her. She turned around and left the group there.

Toushirou sighed. "Come on, I'll take you down."

Yoruichi smacked Renji in the back of his head.

"Hey, what was that for?" Renji said through gritted teeth.

"Why do you think?" Yoruichi said following Toushirou to the elevators.

Isshin and Renji trailed behind.

* * *

Rukia was sitting at Rangiku's desk breathing deeply. She knew Rangiku was never in this early. She finally got up from the desk and headed back the way she came and found that everyone was gone. She hoped she hadn't made anyone feel uncomfortable. She decided it was best to head back to her office and try to get some work done.

As she walked back to her office she noticed she was already starting to have people watch her curiously. She shook her head. The only person faster than Keigo with gossip was Rangiku. She closed the door to her office and when she looked up she was surprised to see her cousin sitting there apparently waiting for her. "Nemu, what's wrong?"

"I did something stupid this week-end." Nemu said looking down twisting her hands.

Rukia walked around and sat at her desk waiting for more.

"I slept with Chad." Nemu stated quietly.

Rukia was shocked. Now she was beginning to understand what the others must have felt at her news.

"We were both drunk but he wants to take me out – you know, as in a _date_." Nemu continued.

"Wait, you're upset because he wants to take you out and not because you slept together. Isn't that a little messed up?" Rukia asked.

Nemu raised her head and looked at Rukia. "He's a cop."

Rukia now understood the problem. "You should probably talk to Momo, she's the licensed professional. My advice though, I think you should give him a chance. He seems nice."

Nemu sighed. She really didn't know what to do. "Thanks anyway." Nemu got up and let herself out of Rukia's office.

Rukia watched her go. She was never good at the whole advice giving thing, besides Momo was paid to help the employees whenever they had problems. She turned back to her computer, hoping that finally she could get some work done and wondering if she had told Nemu the right thing.

* * *

Ichigo was in the break room pouring himself another cup of coffee when Uryu and Tatsuki both walked in. He walked over and dropped into the chair across from them.

"Saw your father earlier." Tatsuki said smiling.

Ichigo glared at her. "Well, if he's not bothering me I don't care what he's doing."

Tatsuki rolled her eyes at him. _Oh I'm sure you would want to know._

"Ichigo, what's your impression of your father-in-law?" Uryu asked, noticing the two people making their way over to their table.

Ichigo shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know, he has the proverbial stick up his ass and…" Ichigo stopped when he heard someone clear their throat behind him. He slowly turned around and cursed. He turned back to his so called friends. "What did I do to deserve friends like you?"

Uryu smirked. "You're just lucky I guess."

Byakuya Kuchiki and Retsu Unohana took chairs on either side of Ichigo. Several other occupants in the room quieted down to see if they could find out what was going on.

Ichigo and Byakuya were staring at each other. Ichigo taking sips from his coffee every now and then. Retsu finally had enough. "Would you two just talk! Ichigo your break doesn't last long enough for you to keep trying to provoke him."

Ichigo grunted. "Fine, what do you want?"

Byakuya remained emotionless despite his desire to slam Ichigo's head against the table. "For some inexplicable reason you have everyone on your side and against my better judgment I am forced to give you a chance to prove yourself worthy of my daughter."

Ichigo raised a brow.

"Do not take this lightly. It will be the only one I will give." Byakuya stated sternly.

"Well, I'm sure _my wife _will be pleased." Ichigo said, not sure why he felt the need to aggravate the man.

"I am sure my daughter will be." Byakuya consented. "Also you and Rukia will need to attend our annual Christmas party as I will need to announce your marriage in front of the rest of the nobles."

Ichigo grumbled something under his breath.

"Excuse me?" Byakuya asked.

Ichigo plastered a fake smile on his face. "_My wife _and I will be honored."

Byakuya really didn't want to stoop down to his level to play this little game. Byakuya stood up to leave but turned back to look down at Ichigo. He could be just as stubborn. "Details will be sent to my daughter."

Before Ichigo could make any comment Retsu kicked him from under the table. Ichigo bit his lip to keep from yelling out.

Byakuya turned around and left. He had to refrain from doing anything else. He had already lowered himself enough for the smartass, he refused to go further.

After Byakuya left Ichigo turned to Retsu. "What did you do that for?" Ichigo demanded to know.

Retsu rubbed her fingers against her temple. She felt a headache approaching. "If you want your marriage to have a chance, stop baiting the man!" Retsu said before rising from the chair and leaving as well.

Tatsuki and Uryu tried not to laugh at Ichigo.

"Ichigo do you have a death wish? That man doesn't just dislike you, he despises you!" Uryu said, trying to knock some sense into his friend.

Ichigo just shot them a glare and left the break room leaving his cup on the table.

Ichigo ended up in the pharmacy. He needed to pick up Rukia's prescription anyway. He walked over to Hanatarou. "I need to get a prescription filled."

Hanatarou looked at Ichigo and took the prescription. Once he read it he turned back to Ichigo. "This prescription is for a Rukia Kuchiki. How do you know her?" Hanatarou asked because he knew Dr. Unohana was usually the only doctor that she saw.

"She's my wife." Ichigo replied.

Hanatarou didn't know whether to believe it or not. He had met Dr. Kurosaki a couple of times and had no reason not to believe him.

"Look, you can call Dr. Unohana if you don't believe me." Ichigo said a little annoyed.

Hanatarou disappeared around back and after ten minutes was handing Ichigo the prescription for prenatal pills. "Congratulations."

"Thanks!" Ichigo said taking the bag with the bottle of pills inside and headed for the locker room to place it in his locker for safe keeping.

* * *

Rukia was sitting at her desk quite proud of herself. Her inbox had decreased a significant amount since all the disturbances of the early morning. She had also just gotten off the phone with her landlord. He had been concerned about the people going in and out of her apartment. She had said that one of them should be her father-in-law and he had her full authorization. She was about to head out of her office when her cell phone started ringing. She walked back around to find her purse and answered her cell. "Hello."

"What are you doing for lunch today?" Ichigo asked.

"Nothing right now, why?" Rukia asked trying not to smile.

"Do you want to head over to the hospital and join me for lunch?" Ichigo queried.

"Can't, your father has my keys so I'm stuck here until he returns them." Rukia answered a little disappointed.

"Why does he have your keys?" Ichigo wanted to know.

"He said he wanted to help us by moving your stuff in." Rukia replied.

"Mhmm…sounds suspicious. Anyway see if Renji can bring you out here, besides he owes me one." Ichigo said.

"Okay…uhm….gotta go." Rukia said hanging up the phone abruptly. She just saw her father heading towards her office.

Ichigo closed the phone. He wondered what his father was really up to.

* * *

Karin was walking around Rukia's apartment. They had been temporarily halted by Rukia's landlord. She wondered how she had even been dragged into this scheme in the first place; she was sure that both her brother and Rukia would not be happy with it. She was even more surprised when her father walked back in smiling like a mad man. Karin figured Rukia must have given a general ok without asking too many questions.

* * *

Rukia took a deep breathe after her father left her office. She smiled. She didn't know how she had done it, but she knew her mother had to be behind it. They were being given a chance. She had immediately called her mother to thank her and before ending the conversation had promised her mother to get the addresses for Ichigo's family and close friends that he wanted invited to the party. Her mother would have to send out the invitations personally from the extra box they had left over as the invitations had already been mailed out. Afterwards she left to find Renji and see what could be done about lunch as her stomach had growled at her.

She found Renji in his office trying to read over some manuals about office policies and procedures. He looked up at Rukia and gave a half smile.

"What do you say about having lunch at the hospital?" Rukia asked sitting down across from him.

Renji thought about it for a moment and then shrugged his shoulders. "Sure. Are you driving or am I?"

"You can drive." Rukia replied thankful she wouldn't have to divulge the real reason he was needed.

They arrived at the hospital and made their way to the basement level where the cafeteria was located. Ichigo, Uryu and Tatsuki were there waiting for them.

Rukia walked over to Ichigo and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. Renji followed suit with Tatsuki.

The group made their way through the line with Rukia munching on what she could as they worked their way up to pay for the food.

Soon they were in the dining hall and found a table large enough to accommodate all of them. They sat down and started to eat.

Rukia looked around the room. It had been a long time since she had eaten there, probably about six months ago she had had lunch with her aunt. She noticed she was getting some strange glances from different tables. She turned her attention back to her lunch. She wasn't interested in them nor did she care what they were thinking.

"I hear Dad came and paid you a visit today." Rukia stated.

Ichigo halted the bite he was about to take. "Yeah." He mumbled.

"Don't worry the Christmas party is not as bad as some of the parties I have been forced to attend." Rukia said trying to smooth things over. She didn't mention the warning her father had given her.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. He didn't consider a night hanging around a whole bunch of stiffs as a party. "Oh by the way, I filled your prescription. It's in my locker so I'll bring it home tonight and you can take it with dinner."

Rukia nodded her head in acknowledgement as her mouth was full of food at the moment. "After lunch can you call your father and find out when he'll bring my keys back? I would like to be able to go home after the day is done." Rukia said once she had cleared her mouth full of food.

"Yeah, sure." Ichigo replied hoping his father hadn't done anything he shouldn't have.

Rukia smiled thinking back to the early morning. "Do you remember anyone by the name of Keigo Asano?"

Everyone at the table stopped what they were doing.

"Wow, that's a blast from the past!" Tatsuki declared.

"Why?" Ichigo questioned.

"Guess where he works." Rukia answered.

"No way!" Tatsuki said trying not to laugh.

"You have got to be kidding me." Ichigo said rubbing the palm of his hand against the back of his neck.

"Yeah, he bugs me everyday. He was in my office when your father stopped by." Rukia said.

Ichigo nearly choked. "Well let me know if you need me to say something to him!"

Rukia raised an inquisitive brow.

"Ichigo probably hit that boy everyday." Tatsuki responded for him.

Ichigo tried not to smile. "Yeah, but he always deserved it though." He looked up as he could feel their stares. "What?"

Everyone shook their heads at him.

As they finished Ichigo cleared the table of both his and Rukia's trays. Uryu got up to take care of his tray. Renji stood up and was about to leave when Tatsuki cleared her throat. Renji turned back towards her. She nodded her head towards her tray. Renji rolled his eyes and grabbed her tray as well. He was going to have to talk to Ichigo about things. Rukia and Tatsuki just smiled at each other.

The guys were on their way back to the table when Ichigo, who was in front, was stopped by an older doctor. "So Kurosaki, who's the little lady?"

Ichigo eyed the doctor. To say he didn't like the guy was an understatement. Ichigo had nearly cost the elder man his license because Ichigo had caught his mistake and called him on it. "My wife." Ichigo replied and continued on to the table effectively ending the attempt at conversation.

Rukia and Tatsuki stood up as the guys approached. As Rukia turned to Ichigo he bent down and kissed her. It was more than a chaste kiss but really only enough to just taste her. The only problem, he was beginning to realize, was that a taste was not enough for him. He wanted more and he had to show a lot of restraint to release her. He took her hand in his and they led the way out.

Renji and Rukia split up from the rest when they exited the cafeteria and headed towards the garage to head back to work.

* * *

It was about four-thirty in the afternoon now and Rukia was tapping her finger against her keyboard not really pressing any buttons but just a simple rhythm to drone out the silence. Ichigo had called to say that he couldn't get a hold of his father but he had talked to Yuzu who said that she would drop off the keys about now. Rukia was ready to head home; she had been at work since six that morning which was way earlier than normal.

Rukia started to read one of Rangiku's emails when her office phone finally chirped. She answered it and found that Yuzu was finally there. She told them to send her up.

Minutes later Yuzu was walking into Rukia's office.

"Here are your keys." Yuzu said smiling.

"Thanks." Rukia said happy to have them back.

"Rukia, do you and Ichigo want to join us for dinner? Ichigo said it was up to you." Yuzu said trying not to give anything away. She hoped Rukia was in a good mood.

Rukia scratched her head as she was waiting for her computer to close down. _Let's see I could have a frozen dinner unless Ichigo is willing to cook or I can have some of Yuzu's great food. _"Okay, sounds good."

"Can I ride with you?" Yuzu said eagerly.

"How did you get here?" Rukia asked suspicious.

"They're probably waiting, but I can let them know. I would like to ride with you if that's okay." Yuzu asked.

"That's fine with me." Rukia said smiling and grabbed the rest of her things as Yuzu called her ride with her cell.

Yuzu followed Rukia to the elevators and into the garage. Yuzu stopped when she saw Rukia's car. "Wow, nice car!"

Rukia stopped as well and faced Yuzu. "You want to drive?"

Yuzu glanced at Rukia and then at the car. "Really?"

Rukia smiled. She handed the keys to Yuzu who nearly jumped up and down with glee. Rukia watched as Yuzu made her way to the driver's side of the car. Rukia stared at the car it had been her birthday present almost a year ago, a pale blue Cadillac STS V8 with all the options. Rukia opened the passenger side door and climbed in as Yuzu had started the vehicle.

When they reached the clinic both of the girls made their way inside. Rukia watched as Yuzu turned on all lights around the kitchen and dining area and proceeded to start dinner. She turned around and noticed a statue near a window and wondered how she had missed it before as she had one just like it at home. Rukia turned to the large life size poster of a woman. "Yuzu, who is she?"

Yuzu smiled a sad smile. "That's our mother, Masaki."

Rukia was quiet and studied the poster. Ichigo's mother was quite beautiful; she wondered what she would have been like. Would she be happy with her? Upset? Rukia hoped that Masaki would have liked her.

Rukia walked further into the room and started noticing a few other things that were very similar to the ones in her apartment. She was beginning to have a sinking feeling in her stomach. "Yuzu, can I ask you a question?"

Yuzu lifted the spatula she was holding nervously. "Yes."

"Is this stuff…" Rukia started.

"Yes, it's yours. Dad moved you and Ichigo in here today!" Yuzu blurted out squinting her eyes waiting for the backlash.

Rukia just laughed.

Yuzu opened her eyes and regarded Rukia strangely.

Rukia just sat down at the table laying her head down. "How?" Was all she asked.

"Well when your landlord called you, you must have said something that gave dad the ability to terminate your lease or close to it anyway. Anything we couldn't find a place for is stored in the basement for now. I redecorated Ichigo's old room to make it a little more grown up for you two." Yuzu said continuing to fix dinner.

"Where are your father and sister?" Rukia asked raising her head from the table.

"Karin is having dinner with Benjiro, I think. My guess is that dad's either in the clinic or in his room." Yuzu answered quietly.

Rukia sighed as she stood up. She took her cell phone out of her purse and slid it into her pants pocket. "I'm going to take a bath, please let me know when dinner's ready."

"Okay." Yuzu said relieved for the moment.

* * *

Rukia walked into Ichigo's old room, or now their room. She leaned her head against the wall. _This is so embarrassing. Now I am living with my father-in-law. I can hear all the jokes now._ Rukia looked around the room; she was amazed at the difference. Yuzu had done an excellent job. She couldn't believe it was the same room. All the old furniture was gone. Rukia's bed, as it was smaller than the one Ichigo had in his apartment, was in the middle of the room against the wall where the desk had been. On either side were Ichigo's modern end tables with different items strategically placed on them. Across from the bed was a black armoire and on either side were some bookshelves. Yuzu had painted the wall with the window as an accent wall. The room was sleek and modern; the bed had Rukia's black sheets and comforter on it to match the theme.

Rukia walked over to the bookshelf closest to the window and found a lot of her romance novels already set up. She couldn't help but smile. Yuzu did have an eye for detail. Rukia walked over to the armoire and grabbed a change of clothes for after her bath.

Rukia walked into the bathroom, closing and locking the door. She started the bath. After the bath was full, she undressed and stepped in letting all her tension release as she was enveloped in warmth.

Five minutes later Rukia reached over the edge to her slacks and pulled her cell out. She didn't know what to believe and she wondered if Ichigo really knew to come over there after work. She looked at the time; it was about five-thirty. _Good, he hasn't left yet._ She knew he was off at six.

Ichigo was sitting in an empty conference room filling out paperwork when his cell went off. He answered it with out looking to see who it was. "Hello."

"Hey, just wanted to know if you knew to go to your dad's after work." Rukia said.

"Why?" Ichigo asked trying to stifle a yawn. He was ready for his double shift to be over. He had been there since six in the evening the previous day and he really did not want to have to deal with his father.

Rukia sunk lower into the bath unconsciously moaning.

"What are you doing?" Ichigo asked curious.

"I'm taking a bath." Rukia answered smiling.

Ichigo was suddenly very awake.

"Do you have a good mental picture?" Rukia asked grinning.

"Yes, very." Ichigo responded no longer able to concentrate on the files before him.

_Good._ "Apparently we now live with your father." Rukia spurted out.

Ichigo's mind had been elsewhere. He finally processed what she had said. His smirk fell from his face. _Oh good God NO! He can't have... I must have heard wrong, please let me have heard wrong. _"WHAT?" Ichigo cried out sharply.

* * *

**A/N : **Okay, so how was that? Next chapter, Ichigo confronts his father! Did I disappoint a lot? I thought that would be embarrasing, they are in their late twenties, married, etc. and living with his father. I could especially see Isshin doing something like that to keep his grandchild close to him! He's a nut. Anyways, Rukia's car I looked up on the cadillac website and it's a 60K vehicle, new design, kind of similar to the one in the commercial with the woman who played McDreamy's wife or ex-wife or whatever! In case anyone is wondering or hasn't figured it out with the clues, Rukia and Ichigo got married on December 1st and so it's still December for them, which is why there's a Christmas party. Anways, I can't think of anything else to say so please be kind and review! 


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Bleach. Insert funny comment

**Warnings: **This is an AU story – so bear with me

**Pairings: **Mainly Ichiruki

**A/N:** Many thanks to my beta, ForeverSam, for helping me and giving me enough confidence to actually post this story This is my first fanfic, so please be gentle.

* * *

**Accidental Bliss**

_By: akirk85029_

* * *

When Ichigo finally arrived at his father's house, or now just plain home, he was beyond pissed off.

Rukia was sitting in a dining chair after helping Yuzu set the table and Yuzu was back in the kitchen when Ichigo walked in, eyes filled with rage.

It was at this time that Isshin decided to make his presence known to everyone in the house.

Ichigo rounded on Isshin his arm outstretched and finger pointing accusingly. "YOU!"

Isshin looked at his son with wide-eyed innocence.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS? DO YOU KNOW HOW THIS MAKES ME LOOK? _US_ LOOK?" Ichigo yelled, bringing Rukia into the argument now.

Rukia and Yuzu watched silently as the drama unfolded.

"Son, now calm down." Isshin's plead falling upon deaf ears.

"CALM DOWN?! I AM TOO OLD TO BE LIVING WITH THE LIKES OF YOU! I HAVE A WIFE AND A CHILD ON THE WAY AND THIS MAKES ME LOOK LIKE I CAN'T TAKE CARE OF MY OWN FAMILY!" Ichigo bellowed out.

Rukia stared at him indignantly. _What am I? Chopped liver? I earn a living too, damn it! _

"Son, now think about Rukia when she's far along with the pregnancy all alone in that apartment and your working double shifts at the hospital, who's going to take care of her then?" Isshin said, believing it would help the situation.

In the back of Ichigo's mind he thought it was reasonable, his protective instincts kicking in. He didn't like the thought of Rukia being hurt and alone. But Ichigo just couldn't let go of what his father had done.

Rukia knew she needed to do something before this got more out of hand than it had already. She stood up, ignoring Yuzu's plea to not get in the middle of it, walked over and grabbed an ear lobe of both men digging her thumb nail in.

Both men yelped in surprise and pain and dropped to their knees trying to pry Rukia's fingers away from their abused ears.

"BOTH OF YOU WILL STOP THIS NOW! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU TWO ARE? I AM NOT AN INVALID AND I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF!" Rukia forcefully yelled, burrowing her nails deeper. She wasn't sure, but she thought she might have drawn blood.

Both men tried to say something but were drowned out by Rukia.

"Now because of this, dinner is late and I am _hungry, _so I want you two to apologize to each other!' Rukia said a little more calmly but still quite forceful.

Isshin with tears brimming in the corners of his eyes held his arms out to his son for a hug. "Son, please forgive me for my insolence. I only thought of your wife's safety first and foremost; it was the driving factor in my actions today!" Isshin said a little too dramatically, almost like it had been rehearsed.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and muttered a "sorry" so softly it was almost inaudible.

Rukia released the two with a satisfied grin.

Both men massaged their tortured lobes.

Rukia looked up and noticed Benjiro and Karin standing near the door. They had stopped by because Benjiro's father wanted them to make sure Isshin was still alive before they headed out to dinner; the two had arrived in the middle of the chaos.

Karin was trying not to laugh. Her new sister-in-law had both her father and brother on their knees and had actually made them apologize to each other. She hadn't known such an occurrence could happen. _I think I might just like her after all._

Isshin started laughing.

All eyes turned towards him.

"Us Kurosaki men sure know how to pick them!" Isshin said smirking. "You are very beautiful when you're angry Rukia!"

Ichigo landed the punch he had been craving for since he laid eyes on his father this evening. Ichigo ignored the cries of his father and turned towards Rukia and smiled a smile that _did_ reach his eyes.

"_Men._" Rukia muttered, turning around and walking to the chair she had recently vacated. She had been more annoyed than angry, and her hormones and hunger were not helping matters.

After the tension had died down, dinner turned out to be an enjoyable affair. Benjiro and Karin had stayed to see if there would be another showdown. Yuzu and Isshin had talked greatly about babies and Isshin was starting to take bets on what the sex of the baby would be.

Once dinner had ended Ben and Karin left to go "out" somewhere. Yuzu starting cleaning up and Rukia had followed Isshin to his office.

Rukia walked up to Isshin and apologized for her behavior.

Isshin smiled and drew her into a hug. "Don't worry about it. I had fun tonight."

Rukia looked at him quizzically.

"You just reminded me of a special moment with my Masaki." Isshin said softly.

Rukia wasn't sure she really wanted to know what he meant by that. She saw the sadness reflected in his eyes. She wondered if this was his true face. She laid a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort the man.

Isshin stayed silent for a moment before grinning maniacally. "Time for you to go to bed, you need to take good care of my grandbaby!" Isshin said ushering Rukia out the office door and closing it quietly.

Rukia stared at the door. _That man can change moods faster than a pregnant hormonal woman!_

Isshin slumped into his office chair. He pulled out a picture he kept hidden in his desk. It was a picture of Masaki two days before she had died. There were times, like now, that he missed her more than anything. He knew she would be as happy as he was about their first grandchild.

Rukia walked back to the dining area and found it already clean. Yuzu and Ichigo were nowhere to be seen. Rukia headed upstairs to her new room. She changed into her flannel pajama bottoms and a spaghetti strapped night shirt and crawled into bed pulling the covers snugly around her.

Ichigo walked into the room not long after, locking his door behind him. He had just gotten out of the shower. He had been amazed at the transformation of his room and he needed to remember to thank Yuzu later. She had done an excellent job. He crawled into bed beside Rukia.

Rukia shifted when she felt a sudden weight in the bed. She looked over and even though the room was dark she could still make out Ichigo's face. She reached over and touched Ichigo's ear tenderly. "Does it hurt much?"

Ichigo took her hand into his. "Not anymore." He murmured kissing the palm of her hand.

Rukia cuddled closer to Ichigo leaning her head against his muscled chest and fell asleep listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat.

Ichigo wrapped an arm tightly around her and was asleep not long after.

* * *

Rukia had been tossing and turning for the past hour. Why? Chocolate; plain and simple chocolate. Rukia sighed as she laid facing away from Ichigo who was oblivious to all her movements. She sat up and turned her head towards him. She envied him; his ability to be asleep right now without a care in the world. She inched her way to the edge of the bed and regrettably climbed out of its warmth. _Damn food craving, why do I have to be the one to have them? Isn't carrying the baby enough? _

Rukia sighed again as she made her way to the door. She looked at the digital clock on the bedside table; it read two o'clock. She couldn't believe that this craving was keeping her up and she hoped that there was something with chocolate in it downstairs in the kitchen. She had a feeling she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep until the craving was satiated.

Rukia nearly had a heart attack as she walked into the kitchen flipping on the light as she rounded the corner. There was Isshin standing in front of the refrigerator, a spoon hanging from his mouth. _At least he's wearing a robe!_

Isshin was up for his late night snack and had just sampled some more of the dessert from dinner when the kitchen light suddenly flickered on. He almost literally jumped out of his skin when he found his daughter-in-law standing there. _I've been caught!_

"Don't tell Yuzu!" Isshin pleaded.

Rukia smiled. "Depends."

"Oh really, on what?" Isshin asked.

"Is there any chocolate?" Rukia wanted to know.

"Ahh, so it begins." Isshin said smiling before going to one of the cabinets and pulling out a chocolate bar.

Rukia took the chocolate as it was offered to her. She immediately unwrapped it taking a bite. Her eyes nearly rolled back into her head. It was like taking a bite out of heaven. "Perfect."

Isshin motioned for Rukia to follow him to the table where he placed several items down taking a seat.

Rukia followed sitting in a chair across from Isshin still taking bites from her chocolate bar. She watched as Isshin started to delve into his nightly horde of snacks. She noticed he would glance from time to time to the poster of his wife. She wondered what it must have been like to lose the person you loved the most and left to raise three children on your own. _It must have been so hard to move forward. _She thought about Ichigo and then Yuzu and Karin. _The girls will be graduating from college in May and then they will be moving on. _That's when it hit her. She looked at Isshin as he was being unusually quiet while still staring at his wife's poster. _He doesn't want to be alone. _Rukia felt like she understood him a little now.

Rukia stood up and wished Isshin a good night to which he replied the same. She took the rest of her candy bar and walked back upstairs to her room. She locked the door as she entered and crawled into bed.

"Where'd you disappear to?" Ichigo asked turning on a bedside lamp and rolled over to face her trying to stifle his yawn.

Rukia held up her chocolate bar and grinned at him.

Ichigo tried not to roll his eyes. "Craving chocolate, huh?"

Rukia held out the bar for Ichigo to take a bite but as he was leaning in she yanked it back saying she changed her mind and took the bite that had been meant for him.

Ichigo smirked. "So you want to play?" He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her towards him despite her protests. He leaned in and swiftly claimed her lips tasting the chocolate that was slowly melting in her mouth.

* * *

Later that morning as Rukia was heading towards the elevators from her car she ran into Kira. "Good morning."

"Good morning." Kira replied while holding the elevator for her.

Rukia looked over at Kira as he straightened some of the blueprint rolls he was carrying. "Have you called her yet?"

Kira looked over at her startled. "Called who?"

Rukia stared at him. "Yuzu, I saw her put her number in your jacket."

Kira then placed the rolls in the corner of the elevator and started going through all his jacket pockets and finally pulled out a paper with a small note on it. As he read it a small smile appeared on his face.

Rukia smiled as she exited the elevator when it reached her floor and left Kira to his own devices.

The smile faltered a little when Rukia walked into her office and found Rangiku there. Rangiku was never at work early. Rukia immediately knew something was up. "What are you doing here?"

Rangiku smiled brilliantly. "Well, I was asked to bring you these papers to update your personnel file, but I also wanted to tell you that there is a bet going on as to what your husband looks like!"

"Why?" Rukia asked as she placed her purse in the bottom left drawer of her desk and turned on her computer.

"I think everyone is wondering what kind of guy you would go for." Rangiku said tossing the papers she was holding onto Rukia's desk. "Oh, and Keigo was trying to get in on the bet but his friend Mizuiro ratted him out!"

Rukia laughed. She wouldn't put it past Keigo to feign ignorance for some money. "So what is it that you want from me?"

"You know me so well." Rangiku said still smiling. "Well, you need to find some way to get your husband to stop by this week."

"Rangiku!" Rukia said slightly irritated at everyone's sudden interest into her personal life.

"Just remember by Friday!" Rangiku said as she got up and left Rukia's office.

Rukia sighed before starting to fill out the papers that Rangiku brought from Human Resources. As she was filling things out she decided that while at work she would keep her maiden name and elsewhere she would use her married name. She also filled in her new address to have that changed as well. She then made a mental note to put in a change of address with the post office as well.

* * *

Ichigo was at the same moment filling out the same kind of paperwork in Dr. Unohana's office. She had called him to her office to finally get the paperwork finished so their system would have the most current information.

After he finished he strolled out of Dr. Unohana's office to be stopped by the head nurse, Hisako Yoshida, at the nurse's station. "Hey, Dr. Kurosaki, I hear you had a lady friend join you for lunch yesterday."

Ichigo turned to face the older woman, her long dark gray hair pulled tightly into a bun. Her stocky frame leaning over a young nurse obviously she had been instructing her on how to do something. "Not a lady friend, she's my wife."

Hisako raised her brows, making the lines in her face more prominent. _Now maybe my nurses can get some work done when he's around. _"So you finally tied the knot, huh?"

Ichigo smirked. "Yeah."

The young blonde nurse sitting down was batting her eyelashes so fervently at Ichigo he was about to ask if something was wrong with her when Hisako cut in.

"Would I know her?" Hisako asked to try and find out some information.

"Well, you've worked here for a while." Ichigo said which earned him a scoff from Hisako. "I don't know if you've ever met any of Dr. Unohana's nieces?"

"I've seen both of them a couple of times." Hisako replied.

"I married the oldest one, Rukia, although she's still younger than me by six months." Ichigo said as if that was something to be proud of.

Hisako rolled her eyes.

Ichigo pulled his pager as he felt it start to go off. "Well, got to go, duty calls."

When Ichigo got far enough Hisako yelled out a 'congratulations on the marriage' loud enough for all staff within the vicinity to hear so she could end all speculation as soon as possible so everyone could concentrate on work instead of gossip.

Ichigo turned around and gave a half wave before stepping into the stairwell.

* * *

Much later that evening as Rukia was getting out of her car, after returning home from work, Ichigo pulled in next to her. Rukia closed her car door and waited for him to exit his vehicle.

Ichigo got out of his black Mustang and walked over to Rukia.

Rukia noticed right away how tired he looked. "Long day?"

"Yeah." Ichigo replied wearily, taking her hand into his and walked with her to the front door.

"Well Rangiku told me today there was a bet going on about what my husband will look like!" Rukia spouted.

"Yeah, so what does she want?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia laughed. "You have her pegged already! Well, she wants you to stop by my office sometime this week."

Ichigo shrugged his shoulders. He had already been thinking about taking her to lunch on Friday since he didn't have to work until the evening that day. "How about I take you to lunch on Friday?"

"I suppose I could schedule you in." Rukia said making it sound like an inconvenience.

Ichigo pulled her to him as they reached the door. He looked at her face which was tinged pink from the cold. "You do that." He said smirking as he kissed her.

* * *

Soon it was Friday and sometime during the week Rukia had noticed that there were two new picture frames on one of the walls. One she recognized as the sonogram of her baby framed with the words 'Grandchild number one's first picture.' She didn't ask where he had gotten it, because she didn't want to know when he went through her purse. The other picture was of her and Ichigo sitting on the couch. It was from Wednesday night when they had all decided to watch a movie that night together. They had been sitting on the couch waiting for Yuzu to pick a DVD. They were next to each other in the picture with Ichigo's arm around her shoulders. She couldn't remember anyone having a camera that night either so she was perplexed on how the picture got taken. It was a good picture too, one that deserved to be shown.

Rukia ran into Momo on her way to her office. "Morning, sis."

Momo smiled. "Morning. So I hear Ichigo is stopping by today."

"Yeah." Rukia replied walking into her office with Momo following close behind. "So is anyone close on the betting pool?"

"I don't know. I haven't really been paying attention. I think Rangiku's handling the whole thing." Momo said sitting down across from Rukia.

"It's annoying. This whole bet thing!" Rukia stated, rolling her eyes.

"I can understand that. Oh, by the way, the week-end after the party I need you to be re-fitted for your bridesmaid dress." Momo said quietly.

"Okay." Rukia replied.

They talked for a little while longer when someone walked in carrying some flowers in a vase. The vase was placed on her desk.

"What are these for?" Rukia asked.

The guard just shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know ma'am. I was just instructed to deliver them to you."

As the guard left, Rukia stood up and grabbed the small card from the vase and opened it. It was just signed 'Ichigo.' Rukia had to roll her eyes at the no comments in the card thing but could not keep the smile from her face.

Even though she would deny it to anyone she met, she had always secretly wanted someone to send her flowers. She had watched many girls, including her sister, receive flowers over the years and she had silently wished that she would be important enough to someone for that kind of sentiment to be bestowed upon her.

Momo smiled at her sister. She was happy for her to have had a secret wish granted. She wasn't sure if Rukia knew that she knew about it, but she had seen Rukia's earnest looks at any bouquets that she received to know that Rukia was lying about not wanting anything so trivial. She looked in the clear crystal vase to find seven red roses, seven cream colored tulips with bouts of baby's breath throughout. She knew that Ichigo and Rukia had been married for one week as of today hence the seven of each type of flower, but what she didn't know was if either of them knew the meanings of the flowers. She doubted it.

* * *

Ichigo after being let in by the guards made his way to Rukia's office. As he walked in he found Keigo sitting across from her trying to make small talk. "What are you doing?"

Keigo nearly jumped out of his seat. "Ichigo, my man!"

"Out!" Ichigo commanded.

"You're so mean Ichigo!" Keigo commented on his way out.

At the mention of what they believed to be Rukia's husband's name several heads starting popping up from behind cubicles.

"Are you ready?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah." Rukia said reaching for her purse.

Ichigo's hand once again found hers as they made their way to the elevator both of them ignoring the curious glances from several onlookers.

"I was thinking this week-end we could start searching for places to live." Ichigo said once inside the elevator.

"Oh yeah, I've been meaning to talk to you. I think we should stay put for a little while." Rukia said.

Ichigo turned to face her. "Okay, so what did he bribe you with?"

"Nothing!" Rukia stated. "I just think that your father doesn't want to be alone when your sisters move out."

"I don't think my father can sit still for two minutes to even be worried about something like that, but I can wait until he's annoyed you enough that you're begging me to move." Ichigo said.

"I would never beg!" Rukia stated adamantly.

"I seem to recall you were doing some begging a couple of nights ago." Ichigo joked and if the elevator door hadn't opened he might have feared for the lives of their future children. Ichigo paused for a second as he realized he had been thinking about having more children with her, sharing a whole lifetime with her.

Rukia glared at him before stepping out of the elevator.

Ichigo caught up to her and threw an arm around her shoulders spinning her towards him and he kissed her.

Rukia stared into his eyes after the kiss broke. She didn't know how he did it. How he could irritate her one moment and then make her go weak in the knees the next. "By the way, thank you for the flowers."

Ichigo kissed her again, his way of saying 'You're welcome.'

"You know no one's ever sent me any before." Rukia confessed.

Ichigo smiled and Rukia felt her heart quicken.

"You want to know a secret?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia nodded her head almost saying 'as if you have to ask.'

"I've never sent anyone any before."

* * *

As Saturday rolled around Isshin, Ichigo, Rukia, Karin and Yuzu were at a formal wear shop looking for appropriate attire for the party the next week-end.

Ichigo followed his father to men's wear, not only because he needed a new tux but to make sure his father didn't buy anything embarrassing.

After purchases were made everyone went their separate ways, mostly with Karin dragging Isshin along with them.

Ichigo carried their stuff to his car and let Rukia in. "So what do you want to do now?" Ichigo asked after placing the items in the car and getting in.

"Let's go to the mall." Rukia replied.

Ichigo groaned. _Not more shopping._

Rukia just ignored him.

As they entered the mall, Ichigo expecting them to stop at several different shops and was puzzled when they didn't enter one.

Finally Rukia reached her destination and stopped in front of a particular store. "I want to go in here."

Ichigo looked at the store and then back at her. "Okay."

It was a baby store.

They looked around, both amazed at how much stuff a baby was going to require.

Rukia turned to Ichigo. "I thought maybe we could buy something, you know, for the baby. That maybe we could buy…."

"the first thing for our baby together." Ichigo finished for her.

"Yeah." Rukia said pulling Ichigo down by his collar for a light kiss.

* * *

**A/N : **Okay, so how was that? Next chapter will be the party and I'll have to see what kind of mischief I can create. Well please review and let me know what you think. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Bleach. Insert funny comment

**Warnings: **This is an AU story – so bear with me

**Pairings: **Mainly Ichiruki

**A/N:** Many thanks to my beta, ForeverSam, for helping me and giving me enough confidence to actually post this story This is my first fanfic, so please be gentle.

* * *

**Accidental Bliss**

_By: akirk85029_

* * *

Rukia and Ichigo finally returned home walking in with several bags from their shopping trip, from both the formal wear store and the baby store.

Ichigo went upstairs to put away their formal clothes. When he returned he found Isshin and Yuzu nearly dying to see what was inside the other bags.

Ichigo took a seat at the table as Rukia started to pull some things out. They had bought several onesies in different neutral colors such as pale green, yellow, white and pale orange. They figured those colors would be okay to wear whether the baby was a boy or a girl. She also pulled out a pale yellow fleece blanket with, much to Ichigo's dismay, bunnies on it. There were some other items, like pacifiers, bottles, and other stuff, that were in the bag Rukia had laid out on the table. Isshin and Yuzu were acting all giddy as they held up each item for inspection. Rukia and Ichigo must have both showed great restraint in the store to keep themselves from buying more than they did.

"And this is the best one." Ichigo said pulling out a small traditional samurai outfit.

"What's that for Ichigo?" Yuzu asked puzzled as to the reason for such an outfit.

"Well, it's for Halloween, the kid'll be only three months, but this will beat all other babies' outfits." Ichigo said proud at his find.

Rukia was smirking as she was folding some of the items back up.

"But Ichigo what if it's a girl?" Yuzu asked still perplexed.

"So what, my girl can be a samurai if she wants to!" Ichigo stated.

"Ahh, don't worry son, Kurosaki's have boys first!" Isshin said, sure of his statement.

Rukia kicked Ichigo from under the table to keep him from responding to his father. She didn't want to listen to an argument over what the sex of this baby would be.

Ichigo muttered something under his breath but remained quiet.

Isshin smirked at his son's obedience. He remembered all too well the jokes he would receive because he would do whatever Masaki asked.

* * *

Monday morning. Rukia found Rangiku and Momo waiting for her in her office. Rukia sighed as she unconsciously tugged on the waist of her pants. Her clothes were starting to become snug on her. She was glad that the dress she got for the party, she had chosen a size larger than what she normally wears.

"You want to know the results of the bet?" Rangiku said smiling.

"Do I really want to?" Rukia asked really not sure she wanted to know.

"Well, there were a lot of takers on this particular bet and the winner was Kiyone Kotetsu, who works with Nemu, she said that your husband could probably grace the cover of a romance novel and I liked that one the best so she won!" Rangiku said proudly.

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Don't tell Ichigo that! I might never get his ego down from the stratosphere again!"

Momo and Rangiku both laughed.

"What were some of the choices?" Rukia finally asked.

"Some thought maybe he would be exactly like your father." Rangiku started.

"Yeah, nothing like an Electra complex to start the morning." Momo said, her facial features wrinkled up in disgust.

"Others thought he might be a bum just after your money. Then there was the quiet, bookworm type. Oh, and I think there was a mention of a circus, which I seriously considered because of Ichigo's orange hair." Rangiku said, after snickering from Momo's comment, and ignoring the glare from Rukia over the comment on Ichigo's hair. Rangiku didn't mention some of the rather harsh ones that people suggested. She had wanted to snap at those people, but she had just smiled and accepted their money knowing that they wouldn't win. She figured they might learn their lesson after they lost all that money.

* * *

Chad sat rigidly at his desk staring at the file he had pulled up on his computer screen. It was Captain Zaraki's file. Ever since his dinner with Nemu over the week-end, this case had constantly been on his mind. Dinner had been nice. She was not a big talker like most of the women he met, and he liked that.

The problem was, why was he thinking about this case? Was it because he wanted a promotion, and solving this case would earn him one? Or did he want to do it to help Nemu? The big drawback to the case was that the bodies had never been recovered. The only piece they had found was an eye which they identified, through a past retinal scan, as belonging to the Captain.

* * *

By the time Friday came around, everyone in the Kurosaki household was packing their bags for the week-end. It was the night before the big 'party' and they all were heading over to Rukia's parents house for dinner and would stay the night, seeing as how the next morning the ladies would start their day preparing themselves for the party and the Kurosaki's were allowed to stay again the night of the party as well.

Rukia was staring blankly into her armoire. Her choice in clothes was becoming severely limited. Today she was officially two months, or eight weeks, pregnant. Right now she was wearing her pants unbuttoned as it was too uncomfortable to keep them fastened.

Rukia was startled when two strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist.

"You aren't packed yet?" Ichigo complained kissing the side of her head.

"Well, why don't you try finding something I can wear!" Rukia snapped at him.

Ichigo slowly moved his hands around to her back and up to her shoulders. He started to massage them as a peace offering. He knew it was accepted as soon as he heard sighs and moans of contentment.

His hands were like magic and had released all the tension being held in her shoulders and neck. Rukia was about to fall asleep where she stood when his hands stopped their wonderful ministrations and moved to rest on her hips.

"Do you want me to get you anything?" Ichigo offered.

"No thanks." Rukia said moving forward to grab a couple of items to pack.

"Stop making out and let's go!" Isshin bellowed out as he was walking down the hallway.

"Shut up old man!" Ichigo yelled back through the closed door.

Rukia started laughing as she grabbed a couple of Ichigo's shirts to use as night shirts.

"It's not funny Rukia, and hey, those are _my_ shirts!" Ichigo scolded.

"Is too funny and I think that since I am carrying _your_ baby the least you could do is to let me wear some of _your_ shirts!" Rukia scolded right back.

Ichigo leaned against the wall crossing his arms in defeat as he had no idea how to refute that.

* * *

An hour later they had finally arrived at Rukia's parent's house. Rukia had driven them all in her car. Ichigo had sat in the passenger seat and Isshin was in the back with Karin and Yuzu. Their bags were in the trunk with the garment bags placed gently over them. Ichigo had lectured his father almost the entire drive there about not embarrassing them.

After they exited the car they followed Rukia to the front door.

"Wow Rukia, you grew up here?" Yuzu asked in awe.

"Yeah." Rukia simply replied.

"Good job son, you hit the jackpot!" Isshin joked as he threw an arm around both Rukia and Ichigo.

Rukia smiled; she knew Isshin was only kidding.

Ichigo shrugged off his father's arm. "See Dad, that's the kind of crap I'm talking about. We might know that you're joking but her father will not!"

"Son, take it easy, I'll win them over." Isshin reassured.

Ichigo looked at his father in disbelief.

"I won your mother over, didn't I?" Isshin asked proud of that accomplishment.

Ichigo didn't know what to say; his father had him there.

Soi Fon opened the front door for them.

Rukia walked in first handing, her keys to Soi Fon and giving her the descriptions of everyone's bag and told her the garment bags had their names on them so Soi Fon could give instructions to the staff to retrieve and place the items in the appropriate rooms.

As they entered the dining room, Rukia and Ichigo had a sense of déjà vu as everyone was in the same spot that they were in the last time they were there. Rukia and Ichigo took the same seats again but this time on Ichigo's right sat Yuzu, then Karin, and finally Isshin.

Ronin was ecstatic at finally getting to meet Karin. They had made soccer the main topic of discussion for most of dinner. Ronin mainly wanted to know what team she might sign on with after she graduates. Karin had been warned by Rukia that her brother loved the sport and she was more than happy to be talking about it during dinner because it helped her to relax in the company of her brother's in-laws.

After dinner Retsu, Hisana, and Ronin took Yuzu, Karin, and Isshin on a tour of the house and to show them where their rooms were located. Ichigo, Rukia, Momo, Toushirou, Rangiku and Nemu found their way to a game room and decided to play a game of pool in teams. Byakuya went to his office to have some peace and quiet before the full day of activity tomorrow.

Much later in the evening, Ichigo was in Rukia's room trying to figure out why a TV remote was in her room when there wasn't a television in sight. He started pressing a couple of buttons and soon a flat screen TV started lowering from the ceiling at the end of the bed. Ichigo stood there in amazement at his discovery.

"So cool!" Ichigo said childishly.

He shoved several stuffed rabbits onto the floor on Rukia's side of the bed, stripped down to his boxers and crawled into bed. He started flipping through channels still geeking out over the hidden television.

Rukia walked out of the bathroom wearing one of Ichigo's shirts as a nightshirt and smirked when she realized it hadn't taken him long to find the TV. She walked around to the other side of the bed and frowned when she saw all her childhood toys on the floor. "Ichigo, what is this?"

"What, they were in my way." Ichigo stated.

"So why are they on the floor?" Rukia interrogated.

Ichigo turned and smirked at her.

Rukia bent down and grabbed one of the stuffed rabbits and threw it at his head.

"Ow, hey!" Ichigo exclaimed as he felt something soft slam into the side of his face. He turned to see Rukia grinning at him triumphantly. He placed the toy on the table beside the bed and pulled the covers down patting the spot next to him.

Rukia picked up the rest of the felled toys and placed them elsewhere before climbing up next to Ichigo. She pulled the covers around them both and laid her head against his chest.

Ichigo was channel surfing until Rukia called out. "Turn it back; 'The Matrix' is on."

"That's a good movie." Ichigo said turning the channel back. Ichigo eventually turned the TV off when he realized Rukia had fallen asleep sometime during the movie and went to bed himself.

* * *

Rukia strolled merrily into the kitchen the next morning to find her mother, sister, and brother already there discussing what to have served for breakfast.

"Good morning!" Rukia chanted.

Hisana and Momo just stared at Rukia. Rukia was in too good of a mood and she was in no way, shape, nor form a morning person. Hisana and Momo both smiled at Rukia.

Ronin jumped up and ran and gave Rukia a hug. "Morning!"

He pulled Rukia over to where they were all sitting. "How come your stomach isn't big yet? Amarante's mother is having a baby and her stomach is really big!" Ronin asked straight out.

"Well, my stomach will get big, it just takes a while." Rukia explained to her ten year old brother. "The baby needs time to grow."

"Oh." Was Ronin's reply. He turned to his mother. "Mom, can I go to Amarante's house to play for a while?"

"No, Ronin you know what's going on today. You can go over there tomorrow." Hisana said sternly.

Ronin huffed and stormed out of the kitchen past Byakuya.

"What was that about?" Byakuya asked of his wife.

"Nothing, he just wants to go play at Amarante's and I told him no." Hisana replied.

Byakuya didn't say anything further and just continued on to the dining area to read the morning paper.

Ronin forgot about being angry after running into Ichigo and dragging him off to the game room to play some air hockey.

Hisana turned to her eldest daughter. "How are you handling the pregnancy so far?"

Rukia lifted up her shirt to reveal her unbuttoned pants. "I won't even be able to fit into my clothes soon, yet I'll still be too small to wear maternity!"

Hisana chuckled. "I remember this is starting the time in your pregnancy where you just look like your gaining weight. Just wait a few more weeks where it really looks that way, right now you just look curvy. You're filling out." Hisana said motioning to Rukia's chest and hips. "Wait till your second trimester, that was always my favorite time of the entire pregnancy."

Rukia smiled at her mother and grabbed an apple out of the basket on the counter. She needed a snack if they were going to make her wait for breakfast.

* * *

It was soon Saturday evening and guests were starting to arrive for the Christmas gala. Byakuya, Hisana, and Ronin were downstairs greeting the guests. Both of the men were wearing black on black tuxedos and Hisana was wearing a full length gown with a black lace halter bodice with a Bordeaux colored a-line duchess skirt.

Momo was currently standing next to Toushirou in the ballroom. She was wearing a cornflower blue tea-length renaissance dress with a wrap bodice and a draped v-neckline. She wore her dark hair down with her hair curled enough to appear wavy. Toushirou was wearing a black tuxedo with a vest and tie to match Momo's dress.

Near them stood Rangiku in a burgundy full length 'Nu-Georgette' dress with a shirred bodice and criss-cross spaghetti straps; she was talking at length with Renji about different liquors.

Next to Renji was Tatsuki wearing a kiwi colored full length dress with side shearing and cascade. Renji's tuxedo mirrored Tatsuki's dress much the same way Toushirou's did with Momo's.

Karin walked into the ballroom wearing a mint colored full length stretch 'Charmeuse' dress. Her hair was pulled back into a French braid with a few strands let loose near her face. Benjiro was walking in next her; his attire complementing hers as all men's tuxes were complementing their partners.

Orihime strolled in next on the arm of Uryu. She was wearing a cherry colored tea length matte satin dress with a chiffon sash and a silver diamond buckle.

Yoruichi was standing in the center of the ballroom with Kisuke and Isshin wearing a quartz colored tea length chiffon dress with a shirred waistband.

Retsu was near the back standing next to her daughter Nemu. Retsu was wearing a full length midnight blue 'Bella' satin dress with an organza jacket. Nemu was wearing a slate colored tea length stretch 'Charmeuse' dress with a scoop neckline, empire waist and a shirred bodice. Chad was standing next to Nemu. All three of them watching as the ballroom started to fill up.

Yuzu was wearing a buttercup colored tea length scoop neck 'Nu-Georgette' dress with a front drape and with a slight shirring on the bodice and she was smiling brightly as she walked in on the arm of Kira.

Rukia entered next wearing an amethyst blue full length halter dress with a shirred chiffon bodice and a matte satin skirt. Her hair was pulled on top of her head in an elegant coif. Ichigo escorted her in and together they walked over near where most of their friends had gathered.

Ichigo then noticed where Yuzu was and he did not like what he saw but he was being held in place by Rukia.

Rukia was trying not to laugh. _If he's this bad with his sister I wonder how he'll act if we have a girl and she gets old enough to date._

About half an hour later Byakuya and Hisana entered the room followed discreetly by their son, Ronin, and everyone quieted down. Most were aware that Byakuya had an announcement to make tonight they just were unsure of the subject.

Rukia made her way to the front pulling Ichigo along with her. His hand held tightly in hers.

"I have an announcement to make." Byakuya stated to the crowd once Rukia and Ichigo made it next to his side.

The entire room became deathly silent.

"My wife and I would like to announce the marriage of our eldest daughter, Rukia to Dr. Ichigo Kurosaki." Byakuya stated without emotion.

No one would know, but Hisana had been squeezing Byakuya's hand in hers as he spoke imploring him to be nice.

The people in the room were filled with shock. Soon murmurs and whispers started.

Ichigo was starting to get nervous. _Am I supposed to say anything? No one told me if I had to. _

Toushirou was not an official member of the family yet so he walked forward to the new couple and offered his congratulations shaking Ichigo's hand and then Byakuya's.

Soon those of noble lineage fell in line and did the proper thing despite being stunned beyond belief.

Ichigo felt like he had shaken the hand of everyone in the entire city by the time they were done with that portion of the evening. He turned to Rukia and led her out to the dance floor for the first dance of the night.

After a while Rukia was standing near one of the glass doors that led out into one of the gardens. She was exhausted and the party was only half way over. She had danced with Ichigo, her father, Isshin and even Kisuke. Soon an older gentleman was making his way towards her. She really hoped he didn't want to dance, her feet were already aching.

"Mrs. Kurosaki, I would like to introduce myself, my name is Dr. Hyota Saito and I work with your husband." The old man greeted.

Rukia shook hands with the man. He was tall and still had a sturdy build for a guy that appeared to be reaching sixty. He styled what was left of his steel gray hair in a bad comb-over. She didn't like what she saw in his cold hazel eyes though. They held something dark in them. She was glad she was in a room full of people. She was sure that she never wanted to be left alone with this man.

Rukia soon saw a head of orange nearby and excused herself saying she had been trying to find her husband and had just spotted him. She walked briskly up to her husband and linked her arm through his.

Ichigo had been trying his best to avoid Byakuya for most of the night. He was sure the man was on the hunt for his head. He had been startled when an arm wrapped around his. He looked down to see his wife next to him and she looked a little worn out. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just tired." Rukia responded trying to forget the uneasy feeling she had from Ichigo's co-worker.

"Can we go?" Ichigo asked for both of their sakes.

"No, we have to wait for the toasts to begin and that would be the earliest we could leave without appearing rude." Rukia replied.

An hour later the toasts started being given, and soon after Ichigo and Rukia found themselves upstairs in her old room. Rukia laid down on the bed and was asleep before her head had hit the pillow; in fact Ichigo had to undress her and put her in one of his shirts before getting ready for bed himself.

* * *

Sunday afternoon found the Kurosaki's back home above the clinic. Isshin was in the living room watching something on the discovery channel. Yuzu was in the kitchen starting preparations for dinner. Karin was in her room resting after spending the early afternoon with Benjiro at a new indoor soccer arena. Ichigo and Rukia had just returned from spending their early afternoon with the Ishida's.

Ichigo and Rukia made their way to their room and laid down. Ichigo turned on his side to face Rukia. "When's your next appointment?"

Rukia turned on her side to face Ichigo. "January fifth. Why do you want to go?"

"Of course." Ichigo responded, thinking it a silly question to ask.

Rukia smiled at him reaching out her hand to caress his face. "Good. I would like you to go as well."

Ichigo reached his hand to hers and gave a feather light kiss to the palm of her hand before bringing it down to his chest. Rukia scooted closer to him and cuddled against him. Before Ichigo knew it, Rukia was asleep. He hugged her tightly against him feeling a sudden surge of protectiveness. The raven-haired beauty in his arms was definitely making her way into his heart and he knew it wouldn't be long before it completely belonged to her. He was afraid though of not being there when she needed him the most. What if she died just like his mother had? He had a feeling that if something happened to her, he might not survive it this time.

* * *

**A/N : **Okay, I didn't know what to do for this chapter. I only had a couple of ideas so most of it is filler I guess. Oh, I was watching 'The Matrix' while writingmost of it so that is how that got in there. If anyone is interested in seeing the actual dresses I saved the links so let me know in the review and I can PM you with the links which will of course have to be spaced out to be sent. I wasn't sure if my descriptions were good enough. I don't know, let me know what you think. Hopefully I didn't mess it up too much. Next chapter will include Momo and Toushirou's wedding. Hope everyone has a great week-end! Oh also I left the whole Kenpachi murder open ended - do you guys want me to leave him dead or bring him back? Been debating for a while now. I will leave it up to you guys. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Bleach. Insert funny comment

**Warnings: **This is an AU story – so bear with me

**Pairings: **Mainly Ichiruki

**A/N:** Many thanks to my beta, ForeverSam, for helping me and giving me enough confidence to actually post this story This is my first fanfic, so please be gentle.

* * *

**Accidental Bliss**

_By: akirk85029_

* * *

Rukia was standing on the small staging area in the dressing room in a bridesmaid dress. Momo was watching the whole thing making faces at Rukia who had been scolded already by the designer for laughing while she was trying to take measurements to open the gown up. The dress buttoned up the back and the area around Rukia's stomach couldn't be buttoned. As the designer walked off, Rukia reached out to swat her sister.

Momo giggled and stepped out of the way to avoid being hit. "Rukia, be careful, you can't rip the dress."

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Then stop it!"

Momo smiled at her sister. She was having fun; they hadn't spent any time together by themselves in quite a while, which also made her wonder if the guys were done. Ichigo was currently getting fitted for his tux so he could be included in the wedding party.

After Rukia changed back into her regular clothes, both her and Momo sat in the waiting area in the front end the shop, waiting for the guys to finish. They were sitting next to each other, Momo with arm resting on the armrest of the chair. Rukia moved her own arm there, pushing Momo's off. Momo glared at her sister and put her arm back, pushing Rukia's arm back.

"Stay on your side!" Momo scolded her sister.

Rukia smirked. "Make me!"

They stared at each other, making direct eye contact, both trying to intimidate the other. Soon both girls started laughing.

"Do you remember that trip to the country when we were about seven, eight?" Momo asked finally, settling down.

"Yeah, I thought dad was going to kill us. We didn't stop arguing the whole way there until he threatened to pull over and discipline us!" Rukia said remembering how menacing their father had sounded.

"I don't ever remember being so scared!" Momo replied.

"Yeah, I know and you peed in your pants because you were so scared." Rukia said laughing causing Momo to blush.

It was at that unfortunate moment that Toushirou made his appearance. "You what?" He asked raising a brow.

Rukia and Momo's faces both paled.

"Nothing!" Momo asserted, hoping he really hadn't heard anything.

"I think I clearly heard something about…." Toushirou started before Momo rushed up and covered his mouth with her soft hand.

"I had an underdeveloped bladder, okay?! I couldn't help it!" Momo said, exasperated and thoroughly embarrassed.

"So you lost control at other times?" Toushirou asked removing Momo's hand from his face and held it in is own.

Rukia snickered. "She didn't stop wetting the bed until she was eleven!"

"RUKIA!" Momo shouted, covering her face, which was now several shades redder, with her free hand.

Toushirou moved Momo's other hand from her face and then pulled her face up so her eyes met his. He leaned in. "I still love you, my little bed-wetter." He whispered before gently kissing her lips.

Momo smiled at him and rested her head against his chest and sighed softly as he wrapped his arms around her kissing the top of her head.

Rukia smiled while watching the two of them. She was truly happy for her sister.

Toushirou looked over at Rukia. "He's on his way out. He was changing when I left him."

Rukia nodded her head in acknowledgement and then tried to hide her own embarrassment as her stomach growled rather loudly, demanding that its owner feed it sooner rather than later.

Momo giggled into Toushirou's chest and turned around so her back was leaning against him. "You guys want to join us for lunch?"

Rukia smiled as she saw Ichigo emerge from the back mumbling something to himself. "Sure." Rukia said, noting how irritated Ichigo looked. "What happened?" She asked as he stopped in front of her and held his hand out to for Rukia to take.

"Nothing, I just got a call from my dad about Christmas. He can be so annoying!" Ichigo muttered, pulling Rukia up next to him.

* * *

After lunch the foursome found themselves at the local ice skating rink. Both men grumbled as they were forced into skates. Toushirou and Momo were soon out in the rink, skating like pros while Rukia was waiting for Ichigo to step out onto the ice. Ichigo tentatively took a few steps out. He hadn't been on the ice in many years.

"Come on, slowpoke!" Rukia taunted, skating backwards facing him.

"Hey now, it's been a few years." Ichigo said, defending himself.

Rukia chuckled and held out her hands. As Ichigo took them, she pulled him along as she continued skating backwards. After a few minutes, he loosened up and remembered how much he used to enjoy skating. The last time he had been was before his mother had died.

Ichigo looked down at Rukia's smiling face and brought one of their joined hands up and kissed the back of her hand.

Rukia rolled her eyes at him. "You, Ichigo Kurosaki, are a romantic deep down."

"Shhh, don't tell anyone, I have a reputation to maintain!" Ichigo said, joking and thinking back to how he used to act as a teen.

Rukia chuckled. "I think all that Shakespeare has addled your brain!"

"Hey! I'll ask you to leave him out of this. He was a master of his craft." Ichigo stated, defending his favorite playwright.

"Well, at least I know what to do when I want to make you mad." Rukia said, daring him to say something in retort.

Ichigo smirked at her and skated around her, his hand trailing around her waist as he circled her. When he reached her front again he leaned forward to kiss her and it would have been perfect except for that damn toe-pick.

Ichigo's skate caught in the ice, propelling him forward. He circled his arms around Rukia knowing that she was going down with him.

Rukia threw her arms around Ichigo and held onto him tightly and closed her eyes waiting for the impact.

Ichigo's knees hit first and then his elbows. He held onto Rukia making sure his forearms took the brunt of the fall as one arm was at her lower back and the other went up from under one of her arms up her back and her head was cradled in his hand.

Rukia opened her eyes and she felt the cold ice against her body and realized she wasn't in pain. She gasped as soon as she realized what Ichigo had done. "Are you okay?" She asked, worried that he might have seriously injured himself on her account.

Ichigo pulled himself up into a sitting position on his knees grunting on his way up and helped Rukia into a sitting position. "I'm okay. I think."

Rukia sat on the ice trying not to think about how cold her rear was as she waited for Ichigo to stand up. One of her legs was in between his so she wouldn't be able to get up without possibly causing more harm to her husband.

Toushirou and Momo made their way over by them. Momo asked if they both were okay as they stopped next to them.

"Yeah, we're fine." Ichigo groaned as he finally got back onto his feet. His knees were numb from the ice right now but he was pretty sure he would feel it later. He helped Rukia up and chuckled as he thought about what they must have looked like going down.

Rukia looked at him strangely not sure she wanted to know what he found so amusing.

"Ahhh, damn the luck!" Ichigo exclaimed as he moved forward, testing to see how bad the damage to his knees might be. "I don't think there's any permanent damage, I can still move."

* * *

Monday morning, aka Christmas morning, Isshin started pounding on the doors to both rooms at five-thirty, yelling like a five year old to get up because it was time to open presents.

Rukia sat up in bed groaning in displeasure at being tormented so early in the morning. She yawned as she rubbed at one of her eyes.

Ichigo looked over at Rukia. "I'm ready to move when you are."

Rukia couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her lips.

Rukia made her way downstairs followed closely by Ichigo. She sat on one end of the couch trying to ignore the noise that Isshin was making in the kitchen. Ichigo laid down on the couch, taking up the rest of the space and placed his head in her lap.

Rukia looked down to ask why he thought he could use her as a pillow when she heard his soft snores and realized that he had already gone back to sleep.

* * *

Not quite so early that morning, Orihime was handing a small present to Uryu as he was waking up. He reached over to his bedside table for his glasses. As he slid them in place he glanced over at his wife. He could tell she was excited about this particular gift as she was sitting on her knees in bed with her hands clasped together in front of her face as if almost trying to hide her big grin.

Uryu slowly opened the box and reached in and pulled out a white pacifier. "'Hime does this mean what I think it does?"

Orihime nodded her head excitedly. "Yes, I just found out last week."

Uryu pulled Orihime to him and hugged her and then kissed her with joy. "Finally."

* * *

Soon it was New Year's Day and also the day of Toushirou and Momo's wedding. It was about four in the afternoon and everyone was getting into their positions for the beginning of the procession.

All three of the bridesmaids wore deep aqua colored pure silk, dupioni draped front tank dress with transparent beaded lace inserts at the neckline and cap sleeves. The dress was a slim a-line floor length gown with a built-up, button-up back.

Rangiku and Hisagi led the way first, followed by Nemu and Kira. Rukia and Ichigo were the next to enter.

The women walked to one side, the men walked to the other to stand next to Toushirou.

Toushirou's white hair stood out in contrast to his dark suit and his breath caught in his throat as he finally caught his first sight of Momo.

Momo walked proudly as her father escorted her down the aisle. She wore a strapless, dipped neckline, embroidered lace gown with beaded corded lace motifs and with the lace draped at the waist and hips which flowed into a scalloped lace edged skirt with a beaded button-up back and a chapel length train. Momo had her hair down and curled with small flowers woven into the style.

Momo barely heard the priest ask who was giving this woman in holy matrimony. She only really heard her father respond. She smiled softly at her father as he gave her arm a gentle squeeze before handing her over to Toushirou. Momo had never felt so happy as she took Toushirou's hand as he led her the rest of the way up.

The vows and exchanging of the rings seemed to go by so fast and soon Toushirou was kissing his bride. They turned to face their audience as they were announced as Mr. & Mrs. Toushirou Hitsugaya.

* * *

The reception was handled with the same elegance as the wedding. There was the cutting of the cake and the toasts. Then there was the first dance as husband and wife. Toushirou and Momo glided across the dance floor as if they were dancing on air.

Rukia watched them from her chair. Ichigo's hand was on her leg, his thumb stroking her knee.

"Do you regret not having this?" Ichigo asked her.

Rukia smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Not really."

Ichigo doubted her answer. He vaguely recalled Yuzu saying something about how all women have an ideal wedding thought of, it was just whether things worked out as to receiving it.

Ichigo soon found himself walking to find some more cream puff-type things for his _beloved_ wife. He was walking along behind the crowd of people but stopped when he heard Rukia's name being mentioned.

"Yeah…I can't believe how far she's let herself go now that she's married. Shouldn't a Kuchiki have more pride in how they take care of themselves." "I hear her husband is doctor." "Well, she won't keep him for long looking like that, but she never could keep a man anyway!"

Ichigo took a step back. He couldn't believe the audacity of these people. He felt the anger slowly building up inside of him. He was about to say something to them when he felt a hand land on his shoulder. He turned and was looking into the eyes of his father-in-law who motioned for him to walk with him.

"Why?" Ichigo asked still angry.

"You can't fight everyone who is going to talk about you or my daughter." Byakuya simply stated. "Besides, you would give them too much credit."

Ichigo gave Byakuya a wary glare. "Huh?"

"To fight with them would just let them think that their opinions matter to you. You'll have to learn to pick your battles and fight the ones that are worth it." Byakuya said, looking over to where Hisana was at.

Ichigo brought a hand up and rubbed the back of his neck. "That actually makes sense."

Byakuya nodded his head slightly and then disappeared into the crowd.

Ichigo made his way back to the table. Rukia looked up at him and frowned when she saw that he didn't have any food.

"You didn't find any?" Rukia asked even though she knew the answer.

"No, but I think I might have just had a semi-decent conversation with your father!" Ichigo responded.

Rukia spun her head toward him in shock. "What? Why? How?" She asked at once.

Ichigo shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't about to tell her what he had overheard that lead to the small conversation with her father.

Rukia sighed as she realized that Ichigo wasn't going to give out any details. Yet.

It wasn't too long before they were outside with the other well wishers to see the bride and groom off.

Momo and Toushirou exited the reception and headed towards the limo. Momo stopped before entering the vehicle and tossed her bouquet behind her to the waiting crowd. She turned around and waved to her family before climbing in. As soon as Toushirou was in the vehicle was off.

Rukia watched leaning against Ichigo as the limo drove off. She laughed as Nemu walked across her field of vision, looking upset because she had been the one to catch the bouquet.

Ichigo stiffened as he heard some familiar voices. He knew they were near him. He turned Rukia around and kissed her passionately in front of everyone.

Rukia looked up at him after the kiss broke. Her face was flushed from the kiss. "What was that for?"

Ichigo smirked at her. "Why wouldn't I want to kiss someone as beautiful as you?"

"Did you fall? Did you hit your head on something?" Rukia deadpanned.

Ichigo sighed. "One of these days you will learn to take a compliment from me." Ichigo stated as he escorted her to his car.

* * *

That Friday, the fifth of January, Rukia was at her next doctor's appointment. Ichigo was there with her as Retsu performed another ultrasound. Rukia was eleven weeks pregnant now, almost at the end of her first trimester.

Retsu printed out another ultrasound picture for them. "How are things going?"

"Well, the nausea has finally let up some. It's not completely gone yet." Rukia responded.

"That's good; perfectly normal." Retsu said. "Now I am going to schedule you two appointments for February. One is your normal appointment. The other is for when you hit your sixteenth week, I need you to come in for an AFP test."

Rukia looked over at Ichigo.

"It's normal." Ichigo whispered to her.

Retsu turned to face Rukia. "Now if that comes back positive, I will have to schedule another appointment before your eighteenth week to perform an amniocentesis. We will discuss that though, only if we have to."

Rukia sighed. She didn't like the sound of that; it sounded ominous. She turned to Ichigo and smiled as he was holding her hand in his and stroking it gently.

* * *

Dr. Saito sat at the nurse's station waiting for the nurse to come back with the file she should have given him in the first place. He watched as Dr. Unohana came out of an exam room and handed a file to one of the nurses. He then noticed that Dr. Kurosaki and his wife walked out of the same room. His curiosity was now peaked.

The nurse with the file was called away and left the file on the desk. Dr. Saito walked casually up to the file and opened it. He scanned it briefly before closing it and went back to his original position before anyone could catch him.

"So she's pregnant. This couldn't be more perfect." Dr. Saito said to himself grinning as if he had found out something monumental.

* * *

**A/N : **Sorry for the long wait!! Please forgive me!! Hope this chapter was decent!! As for the gossips as the wedding - Rukia still doesn't look pregnant just like she's gained weight. Just thought I should throw that out there. Please review and let me know what you think. I hope Orihime being pregnant wasn't too unexpected...I stated that they were trying...besides Rukia and Ichigo's kid will need a friend.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Bleach. Insert funny comment

**Warnings: **This is an AU story – so bear with me

**Pairings: **Mainly Ichiruki

**A/N:** Many thanks to my beta, ForeverSam, for helping me and giving me enough confidence to actually post this story This is my first fanfic, so please be gentle.

* * *

**Accidental Bliss**

_By: akirk85029_

* * *

Byakuya looked over from talking to Renji as he noticed his daughter making her way back to her office. He knew that she must have just returned from her doctor's appointment.

Byakuya excused himself and headed back towards his office. He was still confused about something. Why had he been so civil towards Rukia's husband? He had heard those women making comments about Rukia. He hadn't been happy about it either. Was it because he could see Kurosaki's reaction to it? Was there a possibility that the boy really had feelings towards Rukia?

Byakuya sat down in his chair in his large office and pulled a picture from his drawer. He had no pictures on his desk. He didn't want others to see what he considered private moments. Of the few pictures he had in that one drawer, he was currently holding the one of him holding Rukia for the first time. She was only a couple days old in the picture. It was the first moment where he truly understood what being a father meant. It was the first time he felt real pride in something he had created.

A loud knock on the door caused Byakuya to quickly put the picture back into place and close the drawer in the desk. "Enter."

Rukia slowly opened the door to her father's office. She walked quietly over to her father and sat down across from him. She was beginning to have second thoughts about coming here, but she had wanted to share this with him. She always had looked up to her father and she sometimes felt like she was constantly fighting for his approval.

"Yes, Rukia." Byakuya said while placing his hands on the keyboard to log in to his computer after locking it when he had left his office.

Rukia watched her father and sighed trying to keep herself calm. She wanted so much for him to be a part of her life, but at times she felt that he wanted nothing to do with her. She took out a second copy of her ultrasound that she had Retsu produce for her. "Here is my sonogram. Could you please give it to Mom? I think she would like it."

"Of course." Byakuya replied not looking away from the monitor.

Rukia quietly placed the sonogram picture down on her father's desk. She wished sometimes that they hadn't grown so far apart. She remembered when she used to ask him a million questions a day and he would answer each and every one. His patience had always been tested with her.

Rukia smiled softly as she walked out of Byakuya's office. She remembered when she had been five and she had dived right into the new pool. Of course she hadn't known how to swim at the time. Her father dived right in after her wearing a business suit. Hisana had been holding Momo back from doing the same thing. She had been putting floaties on Momo before starting on Rukia and it had been when Byakuya walked out, just coming home from work, that Rukia, wanting to show off, had ran to the water and jumped. She remembered thinking how mad he was going to be at her for ruining his suit, but for the first time he had held her tightly in his arms, keeping her safe. Swimming lessons had been arranged the very next day.

Byakuya glanced over at the sonogram of his grandchild and gently picked it up. His little girl was having a baby and that was something he was having a hard time dealing with. She was never supposed to grow up.

* * *

The Saturday before Rukia's birthday found Yuzu waving good-bye to Rukia as Kira escorted her out to his car after she had sworn her sister-in-law to secrecy. The last thing Yuzu needed was her family finding out that she was out on a date. Yuzu believed that they still saw her as a child. She gave Kira a kind smile as he closed her door after she slid into the car.

This was technically only their second date. Things had been so hectic and both of their schedules had been so busy, but now that all the holidays were over she hoped that they could do more than talk on the phone. Yuzu had been a little disappointed that Kira hadn't kissed her at the end of their first date, but she was determined to make him do it at the end of this one. She was embarrassed that she was twenty-one, almost twenty-two, and had never been kissed.

Yuzu looked over at Kira as he drove to the restaurant. She knew that he was twenty-four, that on his birthday in March he would be twenty-five, that he moved to Karakura when he was in middle school with his father, and that he was an architect. She wondered what had happened before his move. She suspected that was when he received the scar that he kept hidden behind his hair, but he wouldn't talk about it. She hoped he would eventually confide in her what had happened.

Yuzu took in Kira's appearance and appreciated what she saw. His sunny blond hair stood out against his black button up shirt and black jacket. His dark blue jeans were loose and his shirt was un-tucked giving him a nice look with jeans but still appearing casual. Yuzu looked down at her own hip-hugger faded blue jeans and her light pink long sleeve, v-neck shirt. She wondered briefly if she dressed too casual.

Soon they were at the restaurant and Yuzu was glad of the laid back atmosphere of the place. Yuzu slid her hand into Kira's as they walked in and were guided to their seats. Yuzu noticed that as they sat down Kira slid his hand over the hair that hid his scar to make sure it was still in place. She wished that he wasn't so paranoid about it.

"How's the new building coming along?" Yuzu asked while glancing over her menu.

Kira smiled softly at her. He liked that she listened when he talked instead of making the motions. "Good, we got the final plan approved yesterday."

Yuzu smiled brightly. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." Kira responded, glad that she took an interest in something he was passionate about, his career. "Did you get your final schedule for school?"

Yuzu groaned. "Yeah, this semester will be hard but I am so glad it is my last one!"

* * *

Rukia was rummaging through the refrigerator and freezer trying to find something to eat for dinner. She had finally decided on a frozen burrito and was about to pop it into the microwave when it was pulled roughly from her hand. "Hey! I was going to eat that!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes at her. "No, you won't eat this crap. If you're hungry I will fix you something."

Rukia grinned. She might enjoy this. "Really, so what will you cook for me?"

Ichigo sighed. He wasn't sure what he had just gotten himself into. _Where is Yuzu anyway?_ "What do you want to eat?"

Rukia seriously thought about that question for a moment. "I don't care actually, I'll eat whatever you fix."

Ichigo went over to the fridge and started pulling out some items to start on dinner. As he started to cut some vegetables he felt small hands move under his shirt. He had to stop chopping for a moment so he didn't lose a finger as he felt Rukia's hands run softly across his toned stomach, tracing it with the tips of her fingers.

Rukia smirked as she placed soft kisses along his back. She heard him moan as one of her hands _almost_ slid into his jeans. Rukia bit slightly into his back.

Ichigo turned around and pushed her into the kitchen wall. He lifted her up pulling both of her legs around his waist. "If you weren't hungry for food, you just had to say so!" Ichigo said pinning both of her wrists above her head with one hand. His free hand moved between them caressing every inch of her. He watched her eyes as his hand slid under her shirt against her silky skin. He loved to watch her and he liked that her eyes changed from an intense blue to a bright purple shade when she was aroused. When he heard her call his name softly almost whimpering, he claimed her lips with his rather forcefully. He grinded his hips into hers, pressing himself against her eliciting a moan from his wife. He enjoyed it when she moaned into his mouth as he was still exploring her mouth with fervor.

Both were halted in their advances as a voice sounded shrilly. "Ewwwww….gross!"

Ichigo and Rukia broke their passionate kiss and turned their heads slightly. Staring straight at them was Karin who looked sick and Isshin with the biggest grin any one person could ever have.

"I think I've literally gone blind!" Karin exclaimed passing her own hand in front of her eyes.

Ichigo rested his forehead against Rukia's trying to regain control even though Rukia was still wrapped around him.

"Please continue, my son." Isshin called out, as Karin started dragging him out of the room with her.

_Well, that did it_. Ichigo lowered Rukia down to the ground from the wall and kissed her softly. "This is why we should live alone!" Ichigo stated frustrated.

Rukia chuckled. "I'm still hungry though!"

Ichigo lowered his head in defeat. He was still going to have to fix dinner.

* * *

After dinner Kira and Yuzu had decided to go to the movies and Kira had ended up thoroughly enjoying the movie. Not so much because of the movie but because Yuzu had laid her head against his shoulder the whole time. He relished in the fact that she felt so comfortable around him.

When the movie was over Kira drove Yuzu home and walked her to the front door. Yuzu fidgeted a little not knowing how to make a move on her date. She noticed that he seemed nervous. She bit her lower lip and then decided to take a chance. She pulled Kira down and pressed her lips against his. She felt his shock and thought maybe she had done something wrong and was about to pull away when his arms wrapped around her and took control of the kiss.

Yuzu felt him literally take her breath away. She had never known a kiss could be like this. She now understood what she had been missing. Why it was important to be a good kisser. She hoped that she wasn't disappointing him. She felt relieved after the kiss broke that he was smiling at her. He kissed her lightly before saying goodnight. He didn't drive away until he was sure Yuzu was safely in her house.

* * *

Rukia smirked as she watched Yuzu waltz into the house. She surmised that Yuzu must have had a good time. Rukia sucked in her breath as Ichigo walked past her from the living room.

"Where the hell have you been?" Ichigo demanded of Yuzu.

Yuzu looked at Rukia who was shaking her head no, telling her not to tell him right now. "I was out with friends. Why? What's going on?"

"Nothing." Ichigo responded sharply. "You shouldn't be out so late anyways."

Yuzu rolled her eyes as her brother marched back into the living room. She made her way upstairs and as she walked into her room she saw that Karin was packing her things. "What are you doing?"

Karin stopped momentarily to look at her twin. "I'm moving out."

Yuzu raised a brow. "Is that why Ichigo is mad right now?"

Karin smirked. "Yeah, Ben and I are moving in together. We applied for and actually got Rukia's old apartment."

"So is that why you've been gone most of the day too?" Yuzu asked smiling.

"Yeah, Kisuke and dad helped us get some furniture for the place and Ben will be here shortly to help me with getting my things over there." Karin replied.

Both girls looked over at the door as Rukia entered the room and made her way over to Yuzu's bed and sat down.

"Okay, I want details!" Rukia said to Yuzu.

Yuzu blushed.

"What have _you_ been doing?" Karin asked with a smirk.

"Well, we kissed." Yuzu said grinning.

"So you finally got your first kiss. About time! Now maybe you won't die a virgin!" Karin joked.

Yuzu threw a pillow at her sister. "I can't help it if I'm not like some people and lose their virginity when they're only sixteen."

Karin stuck her tongue out at her sister. "Yeah, well, you might be blind like me if you had walked in on what Ichigo and Rukia were doing in _your_ kitchen earlier."

Yuzu looked confusedly over at Rukia who was smiling and shrugged her shoulders. She didn't want to know.

Everyone quieted down as the bedroom door opened and Ichigo walked in. Everyone was really praying he hadn't heard anything.

"Karin, look I know you're a grown woman and I shouldn't have said the things I did." Ichigo said while looking at the floor.

Karin looked over at Rukia and then at her brother. "Is that your version of an apology?"

Ichigo frowned but didn't comment.

Karin smirked. "You can earn my forgiveness by carrying some boxes downstairs."

Ichigo walked over to a box and Karin gave him a slight hug before he picked it up and walked out.

Rukia smiled at Ichigo as he looked at her before exiting the room.

* * *

Later Rukia was propped up on the bed reading a book when Ichigo walked in and dropped on the bed crawling over and laying his head on Rukia's stomach. Rukia reached one hand down and starting running her fingers through his hair.

"So is Karin all moved in?" Rukia asked.

Ichigo sighed. "Yeah. I guess I just can't picture my sisters as adults. They'll always be my _little_ sisters to me!"

Rukia didn't say anything. She put her book down next to her.

Ichigo turned his face towards Rukia's stomach. "You don't grow up too fast on me!" He said and gently kissed her stomach before getting up to change for bed.

* * *

The next morning, which was a Sunday, was Rukia's twenty-sixth birthday. Rukia was a little over twelve weeks, or three months, along in her pregnancy now. She was excited to see her sister too, as Momo and Toushirou would be back from their honeymoon. Momo had sent her a text earlier saying that she would be there this afternoon. Everyone was gathering at Isshin's for Rukia's birthday party.

Everyone started arriving about one for the party. Rukia didn't expect so many people to show up. Rukia was grabbing something out of her car when she saw her father's new sleek black Maybach 62 pull up in front of the house. She smiled as she saw Ronin exit from the vehicle and run towards her, and she pulled her brother into a hug.

"Rukia, wait till you see what we got you!" Ronin exclaimed happily.

"Ronin don't tell her!" Hisana called after him.

Rukia smiled at her mother before embracing her. Maybe it was because she was going to be a mother soon, but she felt closer to her now. Rukia nodded over to her father receiving a nod in return. She led them into the house excited about her birthday for the first time in a long time.

Everyone was eating a late lunch. Rukia felt so big next to all the women. She was still just wearing larger clothes. She still couldn't wear maternity and from what she has read, it would be about another month before she could. She just wished that her body would hurry up and look pregnant instead of just looking bigger.

Soon Rukia was in the living room while people were gathering around. Isshin sat next to the presents so he could pass them all to her. Rukia smiled as Ichigo sat next to her placing his hand on her leg.

Rukia received several meaningful gifts. Her parents gave her a line of credit with a maternity store, telling her to buy whatever she needed each month and they would take care of it. Ronin gave her a stuffed Chappy toy roughly the size of a large cat. Ichigo started sulking when she placed the toy in his lap before she moved on to the next present and wouldn't let him move it to the floor.

Next Rukia opened Isshin's gift and nearly had a heart attack as she tried to cover it back up. Ichigo tried to open the side of the box to see inside.

Isshin smiled greatly while Yoruichi and Kisuke snickered. They knew what was inside.

"That's for more moments that Karin and I happened to walk in on!" Isshin stated proudly.

Everyone decided to leave that topic alone for later as they sensed the temperature drop in the room. Byakuya sighed heavily. He really considered changing his mind, he did not like the implications that were being made and he didn't particularly care to hear about what that boy was doing to his daughter. He preferred to think that his daughter had reproduced asexually.

Ichigo cleared his throat and handed Rukia his gift to change the topic. Rukia opened the box and gasped. It was beautiful. It was a pendant which featured two hearts joined in an infinite loop with an alternating line of round diamonds and rubies. The pendant was suspended from a delicate eighteen carat white gold chain.

Rukia pulled the necklace out. "Thank you Ichigo."

She handed it to Ichigo while turning around and lifting her hair up. Ichigo slid the necklace on and clasped it behind her neck. She let her hair fall as she turned back to him and kissed him softly on the lips. "Rubies." Rukia said smiling. "That's the baby's birthstone."

Ichigo smiled back.

After a while the guys along with Karin went down to the park to play a game of soccer or to coach as that was what Isshin and Kisuke were planning on doing. Byakuya and Hisana left, asking Momo and Toushirou to drop off Ronin later when he was ready to come home, which Momo agreed to.

After they left Rangiku turned to Momo. "So how often did you guys leave the hotel room?"

Momo turned several shades of red. "Rangiku, you can't just ask someone that!"

"I can and you just gave me the answer I wanted." Rangiku said smirking proudly and then turned her attention to Rukia. "So what exactly did you get caught doing?"

Rukia just looked directly at her. "What do you think?"

Rangiku raised her brow. "Wow, didn't know you were so bold!"

Rukia blushed. "Well, no one was supposed to be home."

Rangiku just shook her head. "That's the risk you take when trying to do something in public."

Rukia laughed along with the others.

Soon all the girls made their way to the park to watch the guys play. Rukia smiled as they entered the park and saw that Ichigo was giving Ronin some instructions on what to do. She was happy that her family and his were getting along at this point. She had never thought that would even be remotely possible.

Orihime stood near Rukia, talking about babies. Rukia was glad that she would have someone to talk to that was going through the same things she was. She had found out that Orihime and Uryu's baby was due in August, almost exactly a month after she was due.

* * *

Isshin looked over into the living room as he started putting on his jacket. He smiled as he saw Ichigo and Rukia debating over a movie to watch. They had just come back from their walk not to long ago. They had started going on walks this week because Rukia had wanted to be able to exercise.

The door opened and closed quietly as Isshin exited his house. He walked, thinking about his son and daughter-in-law. He had been worried for a just a little while that his son had just gotten married to cover up a mistake but he was beginning to really see that his boy had feelings for Rukia and vice-versa. He was so happy for them both. He was happy too that Rukia had reached thirteen weeks this week-end and was officially into her second trimester. It meant that the risk of miscarriage had dropped significantly.

Soon Isshin reached his destination. He reached his fingers out to touch the cold marble before him. "Sorry babe, it's been a while since I've visited, huh? I have so much to tell you, but most importantly that I believe our son is in love and that we are going to be grandparents."

Isshin talked for almost an hour to his wife's grave. He smiled sadly thinking about how Ichigo and Rukia reminded him so much of himself and Masaki. He leaned his forehead against the cool marble. "I'm so sorry I couldn't save the both of you." Isshin whispered as a small tear slid past his closed eyes.

* * *

**A/N : **Okay, so how was it? I have to also thank Inazagi for our late night chats - inspired one scene and a gift. The car that Byakuya drives is a 400,000 USD vehicle. Just in case you wanted to know. Please review and let me know what you think. Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed so far!! I really appreciate it!!:)


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Bleach. Insert funny comment

**Warnings: **This is an AU story – so bear with me

**Pairings: **Mainly Ichiruki

**A/N:** Many thanks to my beta, ForeverSam, for helping me and giving me enough confidence to actually post this story This is my first fanfic, so please be gentle.

* * *

**Accidental Bliss**

_By: akirk85029_

* * *

Isshin walked into his house after visiting his wife's grave. He had taken the long way home to give himself time to put himself back together. He entered the living room and smiled brightly at the sight of Ichigo and Rukia sharing the recliner together. He walked far enough in to catch the end of the movie 'Constantine,' and he laughed inwardly as the lead character flipped off the man playing the devil. _That would be something my idiot son would do._

Ichigo turned off the DVD with the remote once the movie finished and turned to his father, who was looking at both him and Rukia strangely. He wasn't comfortable with that look. "What's up with you?"

Rukia turned towards Isshin to see what Ichigo was referring to. She noticed the odd gleam in Isshin's eyes. She wasn't sure what she should think, she also didn't know if she wanted to know what the man was thinking.

"Well, son I was thinking that maybe on your one year anniversary you should renew your vows, and with a proper wedding this time!" Isshin stated with a smile.

"Dad, it's a little early to be thinking that far ahead. We haven't even been married two months yet." Ichigo said, though he had been thinking along the same lines.

Rukia suddenly found her hands very interesting. The words of that bet coming back to haunt her. _A year and then we can decide and if neither one of us is happy, we can just get divorced. I don't want to let him go but if he doesn't want to stay I won't force him._

Both Ichigo and Isshin noticed the small change in Rukia. Isshin was wondering if anything they had said was the cause to make her suddenly downcast her eyes. Ichigo was thinking the same thing and then that stupid bet came swirling back into his mind. _She doesn't think I meant that does she? _He then thought about what he had just said. _Does she think I'll want to leave because of what I said?_

"Hey, Dad, can you give us a minute?" Ichigo asked, polite for once.

Isshin nodded his head and left the room giving them the space they needed.

Ichigo turned Rukia's face towards his. "You do know that that whole stupid bet thing was made up, don't you?"

"What?" Rukia asked surprised.

"I was spouting off a whole bunch of crap just to get you to say yes to marrying me!" Ichigo admitted.

Rukia just stared at him stunned beyond words. "You….you…what?"

Ichigo smirked and then brought his lips down to hers kissing her softly and slowly, enjoying the way it made him feel to just kiss her. He pulled back and looked into her blue eyes; running his fingers through her dark hair. "How about next weekend we go away, just the two of us? It _is_ almost our two month anniversary, after all."

"I would like that, but what made you so sure about marrying me? What if…." Rukia started before Ichigo cut her off.

"Rukia, I wouldn't have done it if I didn't feel anything for you at all. When you left that night I thought about you constantly for the next six weeks. I couldn't stop myself. I know that I didn't want to feel that empty again." Ichigo stated.

"So you…married me just so you wouldn't feel bad?" Rukia questioned sitting up a little.

"Yes…no, wait…that's not what I meant." Ichigo said as Rukia pulled herself out of his embrace and stood up.

"So what exactly did you mean?" Rukia asked, looking down at Ichigo; the action in itself was an odd sensation for her.

Ichigo put the recliner back into its upright position and stood up to tower over his wife. "I meant that after you left, I felt empty; devoid of purpose. I wasn't sure that was what I truly felt until now, but no one has ever made me feel the way you do!"

Rukia wasn't exactly sure how to respond to something like that.

Ichigo saw what was going on in her mind through her eyes. He closed the gap between them quickly and placed a searing kiss on her lips. He was going to prove a point to her.

"I think we need to finish this conversation elsewhere." Rukia said after breaking the kiss.

* * *

Isshin walked back out from the clinic about half an hour later. He smiled to himself when he noticed that Ichigo and Rukia were no where to be found on the first floor. He moved over to the ultrasound pictures he had up on the wall. He couldn't wait to meet his grandchild.

"Dad, what are you doing down here by yourself?" Yuzu asked as she walked into the house.

Isshin turned to his youngest child (Yuzu was younger than Karin by two minutes), and smiled as he sat down at the table. "Your brother and his wife are performing their marital duties."

Yuzu stopped for a moment to contemplate what he had said and then it hit her. "Dad, can't you just say they went to have sex!" Yuzu said while rolling her eyes.

Isshin couldn't keep the smile off his face. "So where have you disappeared to for the second week-end in a row?"

Yuzu faltered in her step towards the kitchen. "What do you mean?" Yuzu asked, hoping he would drop the subject.

"Yuzu, it's okay if you want to date. Just let me meet the young man sometime." Isshin said hoping to ease his daughter's nervousness, but at the same time trying not to bounce in place. He was always a little bit softer with Yuzu; she wasn't as hardheaded as his other two children.

Yuzu smiled before continuing to the kitchen. "You already have."

Isshin turned his head from the pictures to face the kitchen where Yuzu had entered. His curiosity was peaked now. It was time for him to go into stealth mode.

* * *

Rukia woke up the next morning with the alarm clock blaring at her. She cringed at the offending sound, and smiled as she felt Ichigo move an arm from around her to hit the snooze button.

"Why don't you call in sick today?" Ichigo asked while nuzzling her neck.

"Are you?" Rukia wanted to know, squeaking as Ichigo bit into her shoulder and massaged the area gently with his tongue.

"I could be talked into it." Ichigo said before groaning as he realized he had to participate in a surgery on a five year old today. He rolled over onto his back. "I have a surgery today."

Rukia chuckled as she sat up. "I guess that means we actually have to be good."

Ichigo grunted in reply as he watched Rukia get out of bed and get dressed before gathering everything she needed to take with her to the bathroom.

Rukia turned to him before she went out the door. "But I would rather be bad."

By the time Ichigo found his boxers and made his way to the bathroom, she had locked the door on him. He grumbled as he made his way back to bed. _I'll get that little minx later._

* * *

As Rukia opened the bathroom door after her shower she noticed a shadow move around the door to her and Ichigo's room. She had a feeling her husband was about to have a wake-up call. She knew he had probably went back to sleep as he didn't have to be at work until a little later in the morning. She followed the shadow as she wanted to watch the whole show.

Ichigo cracked an eye open; he suddenly felt like he wasn't alone anymore. He remembered this feeling, though he hadn't felt it in a long time, and his eyes opened wide as he realized what the feeling was; his father was nearby ready to strike.

Isshin's eyes were gleaming brightly, his prey was soundly asleep, or so he thought. He heard the bathroom door open and he was pretty sure he had made it safely into the room before his daughter-in-law had spotted him. He tiptoed closer to the bed. He bent down at the knees and launched himself into the air. _I'm going to get him this time!_

Ichigo bolted upright in bed and spun towards his father, his arm catching his father's chest and sending him backwards into the closet. "Damn it old man! I was asleep!"

Isshin mumbled something into the wall.

"Huh?" Ichigo asked and then noticed that Rukia was in the room trying not to laugh at the both of them. "It's not funny!"

"I beg to differ!" Rukia stated putting her dirty clothes in the hamper in the corner.

Ichigo raised a brow. "I thought you didn't beg!"

Rukia glared at him, wishing she had something to throw at his head. She noticed Ichigo's smirk and she realized he knew exactly what she was thinking. Rukia started for the bookcase but Ichigo had her pinned against the armoire before she could even reach it.

"Oh, no you don't. I'm not letting you near anything that can be used as a projectile." Ichigo stated holding her in place.

"That's it son, show her who's boss!" Isshin added trying to get his son into more trouble.

"GET OUT OF OUR ROOM!" Ichigo yelled, turning his head towards his father.

"Son you shouldn't be so disrespectful to your elders!" Isshin commented trying to sound stern.

Rukia took the opportunity to slip from Ichigo's grasp. She steadied herself against the armoire as she watched Isshin start to walk out of the room. She smirked as she saw Isshin wink at her.

"I'll show you disrespectful!" Ichigo shouted before realizing that his father was leaving the room. He was confused for a second when Isshin had winked, but then he understood that the wink was not meant for him. He gave a small yelp as he was pushed forcefully away. He tripped over his own feet and landed rather ungracefully on the bed.

Rukia soon straddled him and had his wrists pinned with both of her hands at the sides of his head.

Ichigo struggled for a moment; taking note of how freakishly strong his wife is before realizing that he didn't really want to struggle too much.

"I think we have a problem here!" Rukia stated.

"Really? I kind of like this problem!" Ichigo retorted with a smirk.

Rukia rolled her eyes. "I think you need to learn who's in charge here!"

"And...uh…how exactly…uh…do you plant to do that?!" Ichigo stuttered as Rukia leaned in closer to him.

Rukia smiled now. She liked that she could have such an effect on him. She brought her lips close to his. "I think that putting you on probation the rest of the week will help you learn that I am the boss." Rukia whispered against his lips before climbing off of him and heading out of the bedroom.

It took Ichigo a second to grasp what had just happened. "Fuck!" Ichigo called out before heading out of the bedroom to find where his wife had disappeared to.

* * *

Byakuya walked into the kitchen with the morning paper in his hand. He had decided to join everyone for breakfast instead of being alone in his study. He glanced at everyone in the room. His son, Ronin was seated at the bar eating his cereal, along with his best friend Amarante Kyouraku. She was the same age as Ronin and she had her father's brown hair along with her mother's blue eyes. Her five year old brother, Kaito, looked exactly like his father and sat on the other side of Ronin.

"Hi Dad!" Ronin greeted as he saw his father.

"Good morning, Mr. Kuchiki." Amarante added cheerfully.

Byakuya nodded at them both and turned his attention to the five year old. Kaito seemed to be a little shy.

"Good morning." Kaito said softly and rather quietly after realizing that he had not greeted the elder Kuchiki properly.

Byakuya raised a brow. For being a nobleman's son, and considering this particular noble, Byakuya was surprised at how shy the kid was. He turned his head towards his wife, who was smiling at him.

Hisana moved to stand next to her husband. She moved her hand to rest gently on his back. "Have you heard anything yet? Amarante was hoping to have some news before school."

"No, I have not." Byakuya responded and then kissed his wife softly before moving to the other side of the kitchen so he could read with little distraction.

Amarante lowered her eyes. She had been hopeful that maybe she would know whether she had a new baby brother or sister before school. She was excited about it. Both she and her brother had stayed the night with Ronin's family because her mother had gone into labor.

"Well, I hope she has the kid soon so you can go home!" Ronin stated to annoy his friend.

Hisana looked at her son in shock. "Ronin, that was rude. You need to apologize."

Amarante glared at Ronin. She didn't understand why he had started picking on her lately. "Yeah, Ronin!" Amarante said agreeing with his mother.

"Fine, _sorry_!" Ronin said, not at all serious.

Amarante wasted no time to lash out at Ronin.

Ronin who had been resting his head on his hand, his elbow resting on the counter, suddenly found himself face down in his cereal bowl. He lifted his face, eyes blinking with milk pouring down and dripping off his face. He sat there for a second in shock.

Byakuya suddenly had to put the paper in front of his face. He didn't want anyone to see the small smile that was trying to appear on his face. His son's face was priceless.

Hisana didn't have the luxury of a paper and had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.

"I'm sorry!" Amarante squeaked out before hopping off her stool and running for her life.

Ronin wiped his face with the towel his mother handed to him before giving chase.

Hisana walked over to Kaito and ruffled his brown hair. "How are you doing?"

Kaito just shrugged his shoulders before taking another bite. He looked up at Hisana with big brown eyes. "Will Mom and Dad be home soon?"

"Your dad will stop by this afternoon to take you and your sister to see your Mom." Hisana reassured the little boy while helping Kaito clean up so that they could finish getting ready for school.

* * *

Ichigo sat in the small break room on the fourth floor of the hospital. He was tired after spending most of the day in surgery on the little kid with the heart problem. He looked at his watch and smiled knowing that Rukia would be heading home from work soon. He still had a while to go before he could go, but he knew he would get his comeuppance when he got home. Rukia had somehow managed to get out this morning without him finding her. He was sure his father had helped her along the way; the man had constantly flown at him all morning. Something was bothering him though and that was the way Rukia would constantly discard any compliments he said to her. He didn't like it at all.

Retsu walked into the break room and noticed Ichigo staring blankly at his water bottle. She knew he was deep in thought about something. She sat down across from him after fixing her a cup of tea. "What's on your mind?"

Ichigo gradually fixed his gaze on his wife's aunt. "Something's bothering me about Rukia."

Retsu slowly took a sip of her raspberry flavored tea. She couldn't deny the curiosity any longer. "What about her?"

"Every time I give her a compliment she tears it down. I don't understand why!" Ichigo responded to the query.

Retsu sighed. "I don't know how much to tell you."

Ichigo raised his hand. "No, I want to hear most of it from Rukia herself. It's just, I don't like her tearing herself down like that."

Retsu nodded her head in understanding. "Let's just say that Byakuya had a reason to believe that you were just after her money!"

Ichigo frowned, this only made him angry. "I see."

Retsu stood up and as she was about to walk past him she stopped and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Know that she has never been happier than she is with you. I hope you won't do anything to destroy that."

Ichigo turned his head towards her and looked directly into her eyes. "I won't. I…I…"

Retsu looked at him a little confused. _Why does he have a problem saying it? I know that he loves her; I can see it clearly._ "You love her?"

Ichigo nodded his head in the affirmative and looked off into the distance.

Retsu was about to leave when Ichigo started to speak again.

"The last time I said those words…..my mother…..she died." He said somberly.

Retsu squeezed his shoulder with her hand that was still resting upon it. "You should explain that to Rukia. She might not expect you to say those words now, but one day she will." Retsu said before leaving him alone to process her words.

* * *

Rukia sat at her desk working on getting through her in-box while also eating the crackers she had laid out on her desk. She had talked to her father earlier and had gotten permission to use the private jet this week-end. When Ichigo had mentioned going away Rukia was thrilled, but she wanted to make sure to get a good distance away from everybody. She couldn't wait to tell Ichigo tonight. Rukia looked up with a cracker half-way in her mouth when her sister walked into her office and closed the door.

Momo smirked at her sister as she moved to a chair in front of Rukia's desk. "How's your day been Mrs. Kurosaki?"

Rukia shrugged her shoulders and tried not to grin. "Good, I guess Mrs. Hitsugaya."

"Well, how's the pregnancy going so far?" Momo asked beaming while leaning forward to grab a cracker off of Rukia's desk.

"I feel better now, less nauseous. I'm looking forward to going away this weekend." Rukia replied while trying to read one of Rangiku's joke emails.

"Oh, you two are finally getting away. That's good." Momo said smiling at her sister.

"We might as well take advantage of the free time now before the baby arrives." Rukia responded.

"You guys won't have a problem with that. I think you both will have more offers to baby-sit than you'll know what to do with." Momo replied heartily.

"Would be nice. What are you and Toushirou going to do this weekend?" Rukia asked turning her attention away from the computer towards her sister.

"I don't know. Are you going to take Isshin's present with you?" Momo queried.

Rukia laughed. She had forgotten that she had shown her sister the present. "I don't know about that, it's kind of weird having your father-in-law buy sex clothes for you."

"Yeah, well, considering what I've learned of the man the few times I've been around him, I don't think it's abnormal for him to do something so…..peculiar." Momo said with a smile.

Rukia rolled her eyes at Momo. "He's a nut, but he's a funny nut and despite all his antics I believe he means well. I think he does care about the happiness of his children."

"Dad does too; I just think that he isn't able to show it as openly as Ichigo's father." Momo responded.

"That's an understatement!" Rukia instinctively replied while pondering Momo's perception.

* * *

Byakuya walked into his house later that evening to find his wife and son eating dinner in the dining room. He noticed immediately that the Kyouraku children were not present so he assumed they must still be with their parents. He sat down and was immediately served the first course.

Hisana watched her husband as he sat down. She knew immediately that he must have had a busy day. She moved her hand over to lie on top of his and gently stroked his hand with her thumb. She smiled when she felt his hand grasp hers.

"Hey Dad, guess what?" Ronin asked in between bites.

One thing Byakuya despised was guessing games. "What?" Byakuya asked reluctantly.

"Amarante has a baby sister now, her name is Hanaye. Amarante said that she looks just like their mom." Ronin said happy to be the one to give his dad the news.

"Will Amarante and Kaito be back tonight?" Byakuya asked turning his attention back to Hisana.

"No, Shunsui will take them home tonight and to school in the morning. I believe he'll be taking Nanao home from the hospital while the kids are in school tomorrow too." Hisana replied to her husband.

"May I be excused?" Ronin asked after a prolonged silence.

"Yes." Byakuya answered after checking his son's plate to make sure he had eaten a good portion of his dinner.

Hisana watched as her son left the dining room. She knew he was probably going to call Amarante. "Byakuya, I think it is time for you to have that talk with your son."

Byakuya looked at his wife. "What talk?"

Hisana tried not to smile. "_The_ talk, you know the one I had to have with our daughters that you get to have with our son."

Byakuya blinked at her for a few seconds before responding. "He's too young."

Hisana shook her head. "He'll be eleven the first week of March. He's not too young anymore."

"I'll talk to him when I deem it necessary." Byakuya stated attempting to end this particular conversation.

"Okay." Hisana simply responded. She had a feeling he was going to have to 'deem it necessary' sooner than he expected.

* * *

Ichigo strolled into the house and found Rukia and Yuzu chatting in the kitchen as Yuzu was preparing dinner. He walked over and wrapped his arms around his wife's waist from behind nearly startling her. "We have unfinished business to discuss!" Ichigo said quietly into her ear.

"About what?" Rukia asked quite innocently.

Ichigo moved her to where she was trapped between him and the counter. He stared intently at her. "You know what!"

Rukia tapped a finger against her lower lip. "Nope, nothing's coming to mind."

Ichigo chuckled. She was deliberately toying with him. He brought his lips down to hers, kissing her slowly at first. He nipped at her lower lip and when she opened her mouth he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. He brought one of his hands to the back of her head and pulled her head back by her hair so he could delve deeper into her mouth. He then used his hand to support her head in that position as she was leaning backwards over the counter with him pressed against her; her arms were wrapped around his torso pulling him even closer to her.

Yuzu was trying with everything she had to ignore what was going on while she was attempting to cook. She really wished they would take this wordless conversation elsewhere.

Ichigo groaned as he broke the kiss. It was only meant to prove a point to her but he had gotten carried away yet again.

Rukia smirked at him. "Ah, so this is about your probation?"

Ichigo glared at her. "Remove it, please." Ichigo whispered huskily into her ear.

"On one condition." Rukia stated.

"Okay, what is it?" Ichigo asked unsure about what he might have to do.

"Go get me some strawberry ice cream!" Rukia replied grinning at him.

Ichigo stared into Rukia's demanding eyes. He sighed as he realized he wasn't going to win this one. He was going back out to get some of that damned ice cream again. "Fine, I'll be back in about twenty minutes."

Yuzu started laughing after Ichigo left and Rukia went upstairs to change before dinner. Yuzu smiled at her father as he walked into the kitchen trying to take in the smell of the dinner she was almost done cooking.

Isshin looked into his daughter's smiling eyes and knew something had happened. "What'd I miss?"

* * *

Chad sat next to Nemu in her spacious living room in the early evening that Friday. Nemu lived in one of the sky-risers that her uncle Byakuya owned. Being his niece, she got a really good deal on the place. The wall they were facing was made completely of glass. There was a balcony they could go out onto but it was still winter time. She had the drapes pulled all the way back and they sat watching as the sun set, the soft yellows, pinks, and purples painting the perfect picture.

Nemu wasn't sure what to think of the tall man beside her. She had never wanted to be around cops let alone date one after what had happened to her father. She flinched slightly as one of his large hands took her own smaller one and grasped it firmly.

"You still jump." Chad said quietly; almost a whisper.

"I'm not used to anyone wanting to touch me. I was the science geek in school; no one paid any attention to me." Nemu reluctantly admitted. She was never good at opening up with people. She always considered herself some kind of experiment gone wrong.

"Too tall." Chad replied.

Nemu looked at him confused for a second before she realized he was referring to himself. "People treated you differently for that reason?"

Chad just nodded his head in the affirmative.

Nemu shifted her position so she was sitting on her knees facing him, keeping a hold of his hand as she moved.

Chad tried not to smile when her change in position helped raise her already short skirt even higher giving him a better view of her shapely thighs.

Nemu raised Chad's hand and stretched it out placing her hand against his, palm to palm comparing sizes. She raised a brow at the fact that his hand was probably three times larger than hers. She was not a short person, she was taller than both of her adult cousins, and yet this man made her feel so tiny, so dainty.

Chad studied her as she examined his hand and inspected his whole being. He waited patiently for the results. He wanted her to come to him of her own accord.

Nemu stood up on her knees and moved forward brushing Chad's hair out of his dark brown eyes. She traced her fingers around his face taking in everything, studying and cataloging every detail. She looked deep into his eyes. "I don't agree. I like the way you are."

Chad breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't want to be rejected, not by her. He raised his hand to her face and for the first time she didn't flinch when he touched her. He smiled as she brought her head to his and kissed him lightly. "Dinner?" Chad asked quietly.

Nemu smiled softly as Chad stood up and helped her to her feet from the couch. "Yes." She didn't understand the man yet, by everything she had studied, he should have wanted nothing to do with her after that drunken mishap.

They walked silently towards the door their fingers intertwined, both with a soft smile on their faces. Enjoying the way it felt to touch each other without holding back, taking pleasure in the sensations their touch produced in the other.

* * *

Yuzu looked at herself in the mirror once more before finishing her last touch of make-up. She had curled her shoulder length honey blonde hair for tonight and pulled it back into a ponytail letting the curls fall against the back of her neck, she let a few curls loose to frame about her face. She glanced down at her black skinny jeans and the red halter top that she was borrowing while Rukia was conveniently out of town. Yuzu knew that Rukia would have lent it to her anyway, but she didn't want anyone to know how she wanted to look tonight. She wanted to look sexy.

Yuzu quickly ran to her room after exiting the bathroom. She really didn't want to know what her father would say if he saw her in this outfit. She threw on her jacket and made her way to the front door.

As Yuzu made it to the front door she realized that Kira was here and making his way to the entrance. She opened the large wooden door and smiled at her date.

Kira had been twirling his keys around his fingers as he walked quietly to the front door of Yuzu's home. He was wearing a pair of black jeans with an ice-blue button down collared shirt. He smiled tenderly at Yuzu when she opened the door. He noticed immediately that she was wearing her hair differently. He reached his hand out to her.

Yuzu reached out to his hand and took it into her own. She reveled in the warmth that overtook her senses. She was about to close the door behind her when she realized that it wasn't closing. She turned her head slowly around and realized that her father's foot was blocking the door.

Yuzu turned wide-eyed towards her father. She had hoped to get out of there without his notice.

Isshin smiled brightly at the two before him as he forced the door open to be able to walk out without having to squeeze himself through the small opening his daughter wasn't willing to relinquish. "I remember you, Kira, correct?" Isshin said as he threw an arm around each of them.

"Uh...yes sir." Kira replied wondering what was going on.

"Dad, we're going, you can go back inside now." Yuzu said moving out of her father's grasp.

"Oh, youngest and sweetest child of mine; what's your rush?" Isshin exclaimed keeping an arm around her date's shoulders.

Yuzu narrowed her eyes at her father. She knew he was going to try and embarrass her, but she didn't want Kira to think she was embarrassed of him either. A smile slowly made its way onto her face. "Fine, Dad this is Kira, Kira this is Dad." Yuzu said pointing from one to the other. "And yes, we're dating, and if we happen to decide to have sex, I promise to use a condom as you're so fond of saying!"

Isshin stood in place slack-jawed for a good five minutes before he realized that Yuzu had used the time for a getaway. Isshin snickered at the boldness of his usually shy daughter. He knew she must really like that guy. _Next time I have to give this Kira my fatherly speech: Break her and I kill you!_

Kira was driving the car on auto-pilot; he was still in shock over what had just happened. He smiled though as he felt Yuzu take his hand into her own.

"Sorry." Yuzu said.

"It's okay; I just can't believe you said that to your father!" Kira replied slowly returning to reality.

"Me neither!" Yuzu responded a little mortified but with a slight feeling of exhilaration. She laughed as Kira chuckled over the oddest beginning to a date for either one.

* * *

Ichigo and Rukia both walked off the plane with a sense of excitement. It was a small adventure for them. They had left earlier that Friday afternoon and they had flown to one of the smaller islands to get away from everyone for the week-end. It was still in the early evening by the time they landed. Rukia was fourteen weeks today and she was looking forward to her sixteenth week as that would be the earliest that a doctor would be able to tell what the sex of the baby is.

Ichigo turned to his wife as she took the last step off the plane. He wrapped an arm around her waist as they walked towards the taxi waiting for them. When Rukia had told him about the plane he had searched for someplace that offered a lot of privacy. He wanted this week-end to be only about him and his wife for once.

* * *

**A/N : **Okay, so I hope I didn't disappoint anyone. I apologize for the long wait between this chapter and the last one. I had to finish another story so I wasn't working on three at once. So now I'm down to two:) I kind of used this chapter to kind of touch up on where everyone is at the moment. We'll see more of Dr. Saito next chapter. Also, Inazagi and I have created a C2 community and you can check it out on either of our profiles. Please review and let me know what you think. Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed so far, I really appreciate it!:)


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Bleach. Insert funny comment

**Warnings: **This is an AU story – so bear with me

**Pairings: **Mainly Ichiruki

**A/N:** Many thanks to my beta, ForeverSam, for helping me and giving me enough confidence to actually post this story This is my first fanfic, so please be gentle.

* * *

**Accidental Bliss**

_By: akirk85029_

* * *

Isshin walked in through the open front door of the shop that his best friend owned. He nodded towards the few customers still shopping and to the man standing idly behind the register. He headed towards the back where he knew everyone to be. He flung the door open and twirled dramatically before falling to the floor.

Karin just rolled her eyes and continued to eat her dinner. She didn't even want to know what her father was up to right now.

Ben was staring at the overgrown baby on the floor and wondered what this was all about now. He moved his hand to run it through his blond hair when he realized it wasn't there anymore. He had forgotten that he had lost a bet to Karin and she had buzzed his hair off just to see what he would look like.

Kisuke and Yoruichi looked at each other and then the grown man lying on their floor. Yoruichi was not pleased as she had nearly had Kisuke trapped into the same kind of bet Ben and Karin had. She was in a mood to torture her husband. Kisuke on the other hand was relieved to see his rather over-dramatic friend.

Karin turned her head to her boyfriend and smirked as he ran his hand along his head again. He owed her one anyway for the time he had dyed her hair a bright blue. She didn't even want to think of the possibilities of what he did to get her hair that color.

"Is anyone going to say anything?" Isshin pouted opening an eye to stare at the four before him.

"No." Karin simply replied for everyone.

Isshin rolled over onto his stomach propping himself up on his elbows. "Why do all my children forsake me?"

"Perhaps because you act like this." Ben pointed out as he got up to prepare a plate for Karin's father.

Isshin waved the boy off and started crawling towards his daughter. "Karin, my sweet and wonderful Karin, daddy needs your assistance."

Karin held her knife up warning him away. "Whatever you want, the answer is no."

Ben sat back down placing a plate of food in front of Isshin who had finally moved to a vacant chair. He noticed that Karin had started to eat a little quicker, he knew he should too before he was dragged out of there.

"I get no respect! Ichigo goes off with my beautiful daughter-in-law who's carrying precious cargo and only the Lord knows what he's doing to my third daughter and he wouldn't tell me where they were going to stay." Isshin cried out to his dinner.

Karin was humming to herself trying to drown out her father's remarks. This was really something she didn't want to hear.

"And Karin is living in sin with a boy." Isshin continued looking over straight at Ben while pointing at his own left ring finger. "And my darling Yuzu is dating someone now and who knows how long before she loses her innocence."

Karin finished wolfing down her dinner and abruptly stood up pulling Ben up with her. "Well, we have to go now. See you later." Karin stated dragging Ben out the door with her who was still chewing down the last bite he had taken.

Kisuke started chuckling and reached for his cup of sake.

Yoruichi raised her brows. "What was that all about?"

"I figured she'd end up where Yuzu was at. They always end up meeting up somewhere. Maybe it's a twin thing." Isshin said while shrugging his shoulders. He grabbed a fork and then started eating the food in front of him.

"I think Masaki's going to kick your ass when you meet up with her on the other side one day." Yoruichi replied with a smirk.

Isshin laughed and thought about how he would give anything for her to be able to do that right now.

* * *

Uryu strolled casually into his bedroom and smiled slightly at the sight of his wife sitting down on their bed with her feet propped up on several pillows. There were even more pillows behind her to keep her in a seated position. Uryu sat on the edge of the bed handing the Oreo shake he had been so politely begged to buy for Orihime.

"Oh yum!" Orihime said delighted as she took the first bite into her current food craving. She was even more surprised that she didn't want to add any of her usual toppings to it such as cranberry sauce and peanuts.

Uryu smiled softly before reaching his hand out to brush the hair out of Orihime's face. Even though they had tried for two years to get pregnant, he was still wasn't sure this was a good thing as Orihime had already been ordered on bed rest. He hoped they wouldn't suffer the same fate that had happened a little over two years ago. Orihime had miscarried when she was only eight weeks along and it hurt the both of them terribly.

Orihime looked at her husband as he swept her hair out of her eyes. She knew exactly what he was thinking. She grasped his hand before he could completely move it back. "Stop torturing yourself. It won't happen again. I know it! We'll have lots of baby Ishidas running around in no time!"

Uryu climbed onto the bed next to her and placed an arm around her shoulders bringing her closer to him. "Of course."

Orihime smiled brightly at him and then continued to eat her shake. She wanted to eat first and then snuggle with her cuddly teddy bear.

Uryu smiled as his wife hummed, out of tune, next to him happily eating away. He knew that sometimes miscarriages could tear couples apart and even though it was so horrible, he was thankful that it brought him and Orihime closer together. He just hoped that this baby was born safe and sound. He truly didn't care whether it was a boy or a girl, just as long as it was healthy so he would never have to see that kind of pain again in his wife's eyes.

* * *

Renji was sitting across from Rangiku staring into her eyes, not blinking. They were having a staring contest; loser had to buy the next round of drinks.

Tatsuki was leaning back in her chair taking sips from her frosted glass of beer. She turned her gaze to Rangiku's seat mate, Hisagi, and rolled her eyes.

Hisagi chuckled at the drastic measures these two would take to not pay for the next round.

Tatsuki turned to the door as it opened and her eyes widened at the sight before her. She turned to see that Renji and Rangiku were so deep into their contest that neither noticed the blonde couple enter the bar. She noticed that Hisagi was trying to make one of them break so he could get back to drinking. She circled her head back around to see the couple sitting down at a table.

"Hey, isn't that Ichigo's sister?" Hisagi pointed out.

Renji turned his head and then cursed, both for the fact that he just lost and that it was indeed Ichigo's sister, Yuzu. "What is she doing here?"

"I would say she is here on a date." Rangiku said with a grin. She had known Kira for a while and was happy to see him trying to date again. His last few dates were only girls willing to put up with his looks because he was starting to make a good living, his name starting to appear on buildings he had designed for Kuchiki Enterprises.

"Isn't that Kira?" Renji asked wondering if Ichigo even knew that his youngest sister was dating and with whom.

"Yeah, what about it?" Rangiku asked in a threatening manner.

"Nothing, jeez, what crawled up your butt?" Renji retorted.

"Would you please stop it?" Tatsuki asked of her boyfriend. She didn't feel like refereeing a fight tonight.

"Sorry." Renji replied immediately.

Rangiku smirked at Tatsuki. She was starting to like the girl.

"So this guy was at the party right? Is he okay to leave Yuzu with?" Renji asked with concern. He had watched the twins grow up along with the rest of Ichigo's friends.

"Kira, he's okay. Sad past, but he's a good guy." Rangiku said with a twirl of her hand. She wondered where their waiter was, because she was starting to loose her buzz.

Renji turned around to see the door open and watched as Karin and Benjiro walked in now. He felt better that they were there as well. He knew he didn't have to worry as much now. He waved the waiter over so they could start on the next round.

* * *

Yuzu looked up to see Karin and Ben walking towards their table. When she saw Ben's hair, or lack thereof, she started to laugh, apologizing while doing so.

Ben glared at Karin as he took a seat across from Kira. He was still sulking over his loss.

"What are you doing here?" Yuzu asked as Karin sat down across from her.

"Dad stopped by Ben's parent's place while we were eating dinner and starting spouting off stuff that I really didn't want to hear. We just headed out and ended up here. Wasn't expecting to see you two here though." Karin replied taking in her sister's appearance. _Is this why Dad was acting like an idiot?_

A couple of hours later Yuzu was waving good-bye to her sister as both Karin and Ben headed towards their car. Kira opened the door for Yuzu and she slid into the seat. She wondered why he had evaded any questions directed towards him about his family. She was so curious but she knew she would have to be patient.

As Kira parked his car in front of the Kurosaki home he turned his head towards Yuzu. The ride had been mostly quiet. He had a feeling he knew what she was thinking about. He moved his hand to take hers into his own. "Yuzu, I'm sorry I didn't talk too much about my family. I didn't feel comfortable talking about them with everyone."

Yuzu smiled softly and squeezed his hand. "It's okay Kira. I can wait until you're ready."

As Yuzu made to exit the vehicle, Kira pulled her back to keep her from doing so. "Yuzu, my past in not a happy one."

"And you think mine is?" Yuzu responded, thinking about not knowing her mother.

"Your mother may have died, but at least you know that you were loved by her." Kira replied turning his head and stared out into the street.

Yuzu looked at him puzzled. She almost was afraid of what he was implying.

Kira raised his hand absentmindedly to the hair that lay in his face and brushed his fingers along it to make sure it was still in place.

"Did your mother….did she….is she the one that hurt you?" Yuzu finally asked.

"It started as an argument between my parents. My father was leaving my mother. I was eight years old at the time. I was quiet and shy, not anything like the both of them. My father didn't believe I was his kid and said as much. My mother had been doing laundry at the time. She blamed the fact that he was leaving on me; she threw the detergent mixed with bleach at my face. It got into one of my eyes and the pain was so horrible, I started screaming. My mother couldn't take it I guess, she left and came back with a knife and started cutting at my face, saying that if it hurt so bad and if I was going to act like a baby about it she was just going to remove my eye so I would stop 'bitching' about it. My father came back in from outside at my constant screams and threw my mother off of me. It was at this point that the police came in; the neighbors had called the cops. I was told they could hear my screams down the street." Kira said all at once trying to get it out while he felt able to talk about it.

Yuzu sat there in shock. She had no idea someone could be so callous, so cruel. She pulled Kira's hand closer to her.

"While I was in the hospital my father had a DNA test done on me and during my mother's trial, it came out that neither one were my biological parents. My father had no idea how she had managed to con everyone into believing she had given birth. He found out that she had never been pregnant when he married her but he had left soon after the ceremony for a year long teaching position in another country that he had already accepted before he had gotten married. When he came back there I was." Kira said with a sigh, leaning his head back against the head rest on his seat. Kira took several deep breaths before continuing. "My childhood up to that point had not been pleasant to say the least and after that it became deplorable. He only kept me until I was eighteen and then I was on my own and even then he only kept me because the court recognized him as my father because he had established himself as such for the first eight years of my life. He got married four years after that incident and proceeded to have two sons of his own which really only furthered my isolation. He truly wanted nothing more to do with me once he knew I wasn't his real son."

Yuzu crawled into his lap and drew him to her in a tight hug. She felt the sting of tears in her eyes threatening to fall. She had never heard anything so horrible in her life. She couldn't believe that there were people out there like that; that had no respect for another human being's life.

Kira didn't know what kind of reaction he was expecting but Yuzu's reaction was not on the list. He held onto her just as tightly and buried his head into her shoulder. He hoped he hadn't scared her away just now.

Yuzu let Kira pull back from her. She wasn't sure if she should have let him. She didn't want him to withdraw back into himself. She reached up and pushed his hair out of his face.

Kira sat back and watched her while she moved the hair from his face. He didn't know what to think of the fact that she wasn't looking upon him with disgust.

"Can you see out of this eye?" Yuzu asked while tracing a finger along the scar.

Kira shivered upon her touch. He had to control himself to not try to hide from her touch. "No, I am completely blind out of that eye."

Yuzu sighed. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Kira asked puzzled and a little frightened of where she might be heading with this conversation. He hoped he hadn't ruined what he believed to be the best thing that had ever happened in his life.

"That you had to go through all that. I just can't believe that a mother would do something like that, but then again I guess she wasn't really your mother though." Yuzu said kissing him lightly on the cheek before letting his hair fall back into place. She knew he was more comfortable that way.

Kira put his arms around Yuzu as she moved to lie against him leaning her head against the crook of his neck. "No, and I will never find out who my real parents were. She killed herself in prison several years ago, still refusing to tell anyone where she got me from."

They stayed like that for a little while just holding each other until Kira realized that Yuzu had fallen asleep in his lap. He chuckled softly and kissed her forehead. He felt wore out too and they hadn't done anything but talk. He opened the car door and moved Yuzu into a position in which he could carry her. He stepped out of his car with her securely in his arms and closed the car door with his foot.

Yuzu woke up as she was being carried to the front door. She was slightly embarrassed that she had just fallen asleep like that. She wrapped her arms around Kira's neck. "I was comfy, why'd you have to move me?"

Kira smiled as he reached the front door and placed Yuzu on her feet. He kissed her delicately on the lips and after she was safely inside her home, he headed back to his car to go home himself.

* * *

Ichigo found himself at his father-in-law's house for a small birthday celebration the Tuesday after his weekend getaway. He hadn't known that Rukia and her father's birthdays were so close together until Rukia had told him where they were going to tonight.

Rukia walked into the less formal living room, used only for family. Ichigo was next to her, his hand holding hers loosely. She surveyed the room after moving forward and placing the gift down on the small oblong glass coffee table. She strolled over and sat down on the white Evette sofa and moved the pillows to cushion her back. She smiled as Ichigo sat down stiffly next to her. She moved her hand onto his knee and turned to her sister. "Where are Mom and Dad at?"

Momo was sitting on the matching love seat leaning against Toushirou who had his arm wrapped around her. She shrugged her shoulders. "They haven't been down since we've been here. We've just been watching Ronin and Amarante play their game."

Rukia looked down to pay closer attention to her brother and saw that Ronin and his best friend were in the middle of the card game Phase 10. She snickered seeing them with their elbows resting upon the coffee table peering at each other over the tops of their respective cards. "Who's winning?"

"I am!" Amarante stated proudly.

Ronin glared at them both. He would not accept defeat. He reached for another card hoping to complete this phase so the next round would have them competing on the same phase.

Ichigo glanced around the room. He didn't quite understand how Rukia could call this the non-formal living room. To him, everything still looked way too expensive to be the room everyone hung out in. He turned to his wife and placed his hand over her stomach. He couldn't wait until Rukia looked pregnant. He knew in about another week and a half or so she should start looking that way. Maybe it was some kind of prehistoric DNA that males still carried but he wanted to see her belly swollen with his child. He leaned forward and placed several kisses on Rukia's silken lips.

"Ugh, go somewhere else to do that!" Ronin called out placing his cards face down on the table. "It was bad enough having to see Momo and _Shiro_ doing that, I don't want to see you doing it too!" Ronin said ignoring the indignant cry from behind him.

Ichigo chuckled at the boy's outburst. "You're what, ten, right?"

Ronin glowered at him. "I'll be eleven in thirty-three days."

Rukia rolled her eyes. She recalled the days at that age when being closer to the next year in age, was ever so important. She remembered how important it was to be able to add the half mark to your age or three-quarters.

Ichigo leaned forward a bit. "You won't think kissing is so bad too much longer."

Rukia laughed at this and smirked as Ichigo turned his head towards her. "You kind of sounded like your father right there."

Ichigo's whole body froze. His eyebrow twitched. There was no way in hell that was true; he was_ not_ turning into his father. He leaned back into the sofa and crossed his arms over his chest.

Rukia snickered at his reaction. She knew he wouldn't like the insinuation but she couldn't help herself. She was about to get up to go look for her parents when they walked into the room.

Hisana gave Rukia a questioning glance upon seeing Ichigo's sulking frame. Rukia just smiled back at her letting Hisana know that Ichigo's brooding was probably because of something Rukia had done.

Retsu and Nemu entered the living room just as Hisana and Byakuya seated themselves. Nemu moved to the empty spot next to Rukia's other side and Retsu made her way over to one of the white Suzette chairs that matched the rest of the furniture in the room deemed as the white room. There was even a white baby grand in the far corner of the large room.

Ichigo sat up a little straighter on the sofa and turned his gaze towards Rukia's parents. "So Byakuya, how old are you now?"

All the women in the room were trying to hide their grins, except for Amarante, who was concentrating too hard on the card game she was still in with Ronin. Toushirou didn't even bother to hide his smirk.

Ichigo was silently chuckling at the look that Byakuya had seared at him. "Hey, it's that, Dad, or Gramps. Take your pick."

Byakuya stared at the orange haired man, malicious intent rolling off of him in waves. He counted to ten in every language he knew to try and keep his calm exterior.

Hisana laughed quietly and slid her hand into her husband's lacing her fingers with his. She smiled when she felt him squeeze her hand lightly. She turned to face her brave son-in-law. "So Ichigo, I think it's time I learned a couple of things."

Ichigo raised a brow and nodded his head at her to continue.

"So what attracted you to my daughter?" Hisana asked to start out.

_Her ass._ "Her eyes." Ichigo replied.

Rukia was biting her lip trying not to grin. She knew exactly what had attracted him to her. He had told her after they had been married for a couple of weeks. He even asked if she still had those pair of jeans. She did and she agreed with him, those jeans did make her ass look good. She did give him credit though for saying her eyes were the second thing he noticed.

"Why did you want to be a doctor?" Hisana asked next. Ichigo was quiet for a few minutes and Hisana was about to move on when he finally responded.

"Because of my mother. I couldn't…." Ichigo said trailing off at the end.

Rukia moved her hand to Ichigo's back and ran her fingers softly against the fabric of his dark t-shirt. She sighed in relief when she saw his shoulders visibly relax.

Hisana smiled softly at the small interaction between Rukia and Ichigo. She knew there was a strong bond there between them even if they didn't truly realize it themselves yet. She had no idea though that his mother was such a touchy subject for him. She apologized for bringing it up and was glad that he said not to worry about it. She decided that she could wait to ask more questions, there was plenty of time.

Byakuya was suddenly curious. All he had found out about Kurosaki's mother was that she had died a long time ago. Some kind of illness or so he thought. He felt a sudden need to dig further into the issue.

Later in the evening after everyone had left and Ronin was asleep in his room, Byakuya was sitting on the edge of the oversized bed him and his wife shared. He only had on his black silk pajama pants and his hair was loose, flowing down past his shoulders.

Hisana walked into the room and noticed her husband lost in deep thought. She wondered briefly what he was thinking about, but decided she wasn't going to worry about it right now. She had other plans. She slid out of her robe and strolled over to her husband in her red silk nightie.

Byakuya was forced out of his inner mind when Hisana sat in his lap effectively straddling him. He smirked moving his hands to her small hips bringing her closer to him.

Hisana grinned and brought her lips to his ear. "I want your attention solely on me tonight." Hisana whispered seductively.

Byakuya raised a brow at her and was about to reply when Hisana took advantage of the opportunity and demanded his obedience with a scorching kiss. She pushed him backwards onto the bed not breaking the kiss once.

Byakuya let her have her way for the moment. He would wait until she thought she was going to be in control and then he would turn the tables on her. He had found where she had hidden the handcuffs.

* * *

Ichigo was standing at one of the nurse's stations the next day going through some of Dr. Saito's files. Ichigo had nearly cost the guy his medical license when Ichigo had just started his internship. Being a doctor's son had given Ichigo a lot of advantages. He knew quite a bit more than most interns.

Ichigo had just put the last file back up. He rested his head in his hands. He thought about Rukia's face last night. He knew she had so many questions and he was thankful that she hadn't voiced them yet. He wanted to tell her everything, but he still wasn't ready. He just needed a little bit more time before he revealed something he considered so personal. He lifted his head up as someone cleared their throat beside him and he looked over into the frosty hazel eyes of none other than Dr. Saito himself. "What do you want?"

"Don't use that tone of voice with me. I am your superior." Dr. Saito stated.

Ichigo stood up straight and stared down the older man. "You may be higher in rank, but you are definitely not my superior."

Hyota Saito's eyes narrowed considerably from Ichigo's comment. "Don't think I don't know what you and that nurse Hisako do with my files. I would be more careful if I were you."

"Oh really, and what are you going to do about it? I can't let you try to kill off our patients." Ichigo retorted.

"You insolent brat, I have been a doctor longer than you've been alive. You think you're so high and mighty because you married the boss's niece now, huh?" Hyota asked his voice laced with venom.

"You leave my wife out of this." Ichigo snapped back.

"Oh I think not. You would do well to listen to what I say; you don't want anything to happen to that cute little wife of yours or the baby she's carrying." Hyota warned with a sneer.

Ichigo was clenching his fists tightly. He wanted to hit this bastard more than anything. He knew Saito was tempting him to do so because Saito wanted him gone, out of the hospital for good. Ichigo didn't want to loose his internship though; besides Saito he really liked it here. His first year was almost done too. He took several more deep breaths and then walked away.

Hyota glowered at Ichigo's retreating form. He wondered briefly if the kid thought his threat was an idle one. Hyota knew that if Ichigo Kurosaki interfered with any more of his cases, the kid would learn very quickly how serious he was.

* * *

**A/N : **Okay, so I hope that was good enough for everyone:) Got a big reveal in Kira's past there. Did anyone guess it was anything like that? Moving forward a little with the Saito threat too. Please review and let me know what you think. And I want to thank everyone who has reviewed so far, I truly appreciate it!!:)


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Bleach. Insert funny comment

**Warnings: **This is an AU story – so bear with me

**Pairings: **Mainly Ichiruki

**A/N:** Many thanks to my beta, ForeverSam, for helping me and giving me enough confidence to actually post this story This is my first fanfic, so please be gentle.

* * *

**Accidental Bliss**

_By: akirk85029_

* * *

Ichigo stormed into the small break room causing Tatsuki and Uryu to look up at him cautiously from their table where they had been waiting for him. Ichigo muttered several curses as he pulled the small metal chair out from underneath the white table harshly before lowering himself into it.

Tatsuki knew Ichigo was beyond just plain angry. She wondered what had happened to trigger his current temper. She just wasn't sure whether or not broaching the subject would be safe right now.

Uryu knew better but he would rather deal with Ichigo's anger now than having to deal with it in a surgery they were both participating in later. "What happened to you?"

Ichigo sat with his elbows upon the table his head resting in his hands, his breath coming out harshly and raggedly. He slowly lifted his head up to look into the eyes of two of his friends. "Listen, I need you two to promise me something."

Both Uryu and Tatsuki sat a little straighter in their chairs. Something was going on and they knew it was big if Ichigo was asking them for something.

"If Rukia is ever at the hospital and I'm not around, I need you two to keep an eye on her. Make sure she stays safe." Ichigo finally asked as his hands clenched into fists before him.

"What's going on? What would make you think she wouldn't be safe?" Tatsuki inquired of her long time friend.

"Just promise me!" Ichigo gritted out trying still to keep his anger under control. No one had riled him this badly in a long time.

"Ichigo, we promise, but it would help if we knew what we were looking out for." Uryu said, trying to help calm his friend.

"Saito, I think he was just trying to get me to hit him so he could get me fired, but I can't take that chance that he might have been serious about hurting Rukia…or the baby?" Ichigo explained, taking a few more deep breaths; his nerves were finally settling down knowing that Rukia would be watched even if he wasn't around.

"Are you telling me he not only threatened your wife but your unborn child as well?" Uryu asked, disgust clearly evident in his voice.

"Just give me the word and I'll hold him down while you hit him!" Tatsuki volunteered. She couldn't believe that Saito would go that far and she knew there was nothing they could really do about it. It was just Ichigo's word against Hyota's.

"Thank you." Ichigo said, finally having his anger under control. He breathed a sigh in relief. He saw both of them nod their heads towards him and felt a lot better knowing that Rukia wouldn't be alone even if she wasn't aware of it.

* * *

Early Sunday morning Rukia woke with a start. She shifted her head around and smiled at her husband's sleeping face. She twisted around to where she was now facing him. She ran her slender fingers across the contours of Ichigo's face, smiling as she watched him slightly relax. She wondered what he's been dreaming about now. For the past few days he's been keeping her close to him as they slept; even now Rukia had to pry herself out of Ichigo's firm grasp.

After taking a long, leisurely shower, enjoying the warmth the hot water provided Rukia dressed in a comfortable pair of light Capri pants that were big enough to fit around her expanding frame. She slid on a light green shirt that she had stolen from her husband and brushed her damp hair before exiting the confines of the bathroom. She threw her dirty clothes in the hamper before making her way downstairs.

Rukia made her way into the kitchen and plucked one of the warm blueberry muffins still cooling on the smoky topaz colored laminate counter top. She savored the blueberry flavor as she walked into the dining room to see what was in the box Isshin was currently placing on the dark-wood table.

Isshin beamed brightly at Rukia.

Rukia nearly choked on her breakfast when Ronin walked in from the living room. "Ronin?"

Ronin smiled and hugged his sister. "Mom and Isshin said it was okay if I came over today."

Rukia looked up over at Isshin and smiled at him.

"He asked if he could come over when I was visiting with your mother this morning." Isshin explained.

Rukia ignored the obvious question and walked over to the small box and picked up a photograph on the very top for closer inspection. She smiled at the picture. In the center was Rukia, eighteen years old at the time and it was right after arriving home from her high school graduation. Next to Rukia, on her left, was Momo who had been seventeen and had just finished her junior year of high school. On Rukia's right hip she held her then three year old brother. All three were in their backyard trying to ignore the balmy heat from the June sun.

Rukia was surprised she couldn't see how badly their shorts and t-shirts were sticking to their skin. She showed the picture to Ronin as he walked up behind her.

Ronin took the picture and studied it before passing it to Yuzu while taking a seat next to her. "Where's Ichigo?"

Rukia looked at her brother as she dug further into the box pulling out several albums. "He's still asleep I think."

"WHAT?" Isshin bellowed. "That lazy son of mine, don't worry I'll make sure he's up!" The older man declared as he turned towards the stairs with a grin.

Rukia rolled her eyes before turning to Yuzu.

"I think Dad thought you might like a couple of pictures of your family around here. Or he could just have been acting like he normally does. He loves pictures." Yuzu said in response to Rukia's gaze.

Everyone turned their head towards the stairs to the sound of a crash followed by several strings of curses.

* * *

Ichigo stumbled down the stairs still muttering a few colorful phrases and buttoning the top of the pair of jeans he threw on. He rubbed at his bare stomach as he walked into the kitchen and grabbed a mug from a cabinet, setting it down on the countertop a little harshly as he reached for the coffee pot.

Rukia sat down in the wood framed chair and watched as her husband poured his cup of coffee. She didn't realize that she was biting her lower lip as she took in her husband's toned body.

"Rukia are you okay?" Ronin asked innocently.

Rukia tried to hide her blush as everyone else looked at her and smiled. "I'm fine Ronin!"

Isshin grinned broadly. "Second trimester hormones getting to you?"

Ichigo kicked his father to the side before moving to sit next to Rukia. "Leave her alone, old man!"

Isshin moved back to his original spot. "Such impertinence! What would your mother say?"

Rukia smiled as she saw the first smile appear on Ichigo's face when he thought of his mother. She was watching Ichigo so intently that she didn't notice the brightness that appeared in Isshin's eyes as he noticed the same thing.

"I'd say she would congratulate me on a job well done!" Ichigo said, taking a sip of the strong black substance congealing in his mug.

Isshin's grin dropped a fraction. "She would not!" Isshin said sitting down with a pout.

Ichigo finally noticed all the photo-books on the table. "What's going on?"

Isshin's smile brightened. "Hisana let me borrow some picture books!"

Ichigo pulled one the books towards him and opened to the first page of photos before looking up towards the poster of his mother. He realized himself that for the first time in a long time he had had a memory of his mother that didn't center on her death. It completely baffled him and he knew it must have something to do with the good mood he was in now despite how he had been woken up. His bafflement utterly ceased upon the asking of a single innocent question.

Ronin was sitting on his knees in the chair with his upper frame supported over the table on his elbows, a position he would not be allowed to get away with if he had been at home. He had one of the photo-albums open before him. He turned his head over towards Yuzu, his head still resting in one of his palms. "I heard Momo say you were dating Kira?"

Everyone else froze at the table. The news had not been broken to Ichigo yet, especially after how Ichigo had handled Karin's moving in with Benjiro.

"What?" Ichigo asked cautious to not let any emotion seep through.

Yuzu pinned a stare at her brother. "Ichigo don't start. I'm not a child anymore!"

Ichigo shifted a little straighter in his seat. "Yuzu, how can I not? How do I know this guy isn't just trying to get into your pants?"

Rukia sat forward butting into this argument for her friend's sake. "Ichigo, Kira is not that type of person! That's unfair to both of them."

Yuzu nodded her head, agreeing with Rukia's statements.

"Geez, Ichigo, you sound like my dad now!" Ronin threw out there which caused Isshin to nearly die with laughter. Rukia had informed him, against Ichigo's wishes, about what had transpired at her father's birthday party.

Both Yuzu and Rukia were trying so hard not to laugh.

Ichigo sat there with his arms crossed. He had been in a good mood too.

Yuzu sighed before leaning forward. "Look Ichigo, I appreciate that you want to protect me. I really do, but you have to let me be able to live my life and that includes dating!"

Ichigo stared at his sister as she turned to Rukia to ask her about some of the pictures. He didn't know what to say to that. He wanted to argue, to protest, but as he watched Yuzu he realized she was no longer the shy girl that would follow him around, she was growing into her own. Ichigo grumbled trying to remember which one was Kira as he continued to look through some of the photos.

Rukia tried not to smile at the way Yuzu had placated Ichigo. She hoped he would give Kira a chance to prove himself.

* * *

After a morning of going through photos, Rukia and Ichigo brought Ronin with them to Uryu and Orihime's home. They walked around back to find Uryu gently placing Orihime down in a deck chair. She was still on bed-rest and despite her willingness to move around herself, Uryu refused to let her do anything more than absolutely necessary until she was released from the prescribed bed-rest.

The adults greeted each other as Ronin walked forward to the fencing equipment. He had been taking some lessons and sometimes he had been able to spar with his father and even Toushirou. He turned to Ichigo. "Hey, Ichigo, can I have a turn to go against you?"

Ichigo turned to his young brother-in-law. "Sure, kiddo. Let's get set up."

Rukia and Orihime snacked as they watched the boys compete against each other. Rukia had been pleasantly surprised with her husband's swordsmanship. She turned her head as Orihime spoke.

"They both are going to be great fathers!" Orihime stated while watching both Uryu and Ichigo take turns against Ronin.

Rukia couldn't keep the smile off of her face. She placed her hand softly on her slowly enlarging belly. "Yeah, I have to agree."

Rukia almost wanted to eat her words though because soon after two grown men were arguing over something so trivial and letting a few choice phrases slip out. She watched as Ronin soaked it all up like a sponge. She decided that should would let Ichigo suffer for that one later as Rukia was sure that it would come back to haunt him.

* * *

Byakuya and Hisana sat outside in their front garden as Rukia's car pulled into their drive. Amarante was sipping on a glass of pink lemonade that Hisana had poured for her as she waited for Ronin to return home.

Byakuya watched as his son ran over to greet his friend and as Ichigo and his daughter walked towards them hand in hand. He had found out only a little bit more about Ichigo's mother's death in that her family received a rather large settlement from the hospital for something that had to do with her death. He was content enough though to leave it alone for now as the boy seemed to be torturing himself very well for whatever reason.

Hisana hugged her son despite his protests and greeted her daughter and son-in-law in the same manner. She was in a good mood today. It was a fairly warm day for the first week-end in February and she had spent the majority of the day with her husband, alone.

Ichigo and Rukia sat down in a couple of the empty chairs while Ronin recounted his day for his parents. Rukia reached out to pour herself a glass of the tempting pink lemonade but Ichigo beat her to it and poured a glass for her and then one for himself.

Rukia let the cool liquid slide down her throat as she very nearly downed the contents of the clear glass handed to her. She hadn't known she was so thirsty until she had the drink to her lips.

As Ronin pulled Amarante off to the side to show her some of the things he had learned from Ichigo; Ichigo turned towards Hisana. "I saw a very interesting picture today."

Hisana gave him a puzzled look as she tried to think of which picture he could be referring to. "And which one would that be?"

Ichigo was about to respond when Ronin yelled out something inappropriate for a child of his age. "You're doing it wrong, you dumb ass!" Ichigo groaned as he leaned his head back to stare into the blue sky, remembering his earlier spat with Uryu. He realized for the first time that what he said around impressionable children would really come back to bite him in the ass.

Rukia tried not to laugh, she knew it would happen; she had gotten in trouble before for exactly the same thing.

"Ronin Kuchiki." Byakuya said with a steely conviction.

Ronin stopped in his tracks. He had thought it would be cool to reiterate Ichigo's comments. He stood a little straighter, hoping he wasn't about to be punished too harshly. "Yes, Father?"

"One, you will apologize to Miss Kyoraku and two, you will go to your room for the rest of this evening until your mother and I can determine an appropriate punishment for you. You will not repeat such vulgar terms in this house again. Do I make myself clear?" Byakuya commanded coolly.

"Yes, sir." Ronin replied before sincerely apologizing to Amarante and heading towards his room.

Amarante, having no more reason to stay, decided to head home.

"Kurosaki, I suggest that you refrain from teaching my son your boorish ways." Byakuya warned.

"Calm down Byakuya, it was just a curse word, not the end of the world." Ichigo replied turning his head towards his father-in-law.

"Perhaps not, but the behavior is not what a ten year old should be displaying." Byakuya stated.

"I hear ya!" Ichigo said with a wave of his hand, not wanting to prolong this conversation. Besides he didn't want to admit that he actually agreed with the man.

* * *

Amarante ran into her home slamming the heavy door behind her. She made her way to the billiard room where she suspected her father would be. "Daddy!" Amarante called and started to run to hug him when she noticed another man in the room with her father and she changed course throwing herself into the other man's waiting arms. "Uncle Jyuu!"

"Spurned by my own flesh and blood!" Shunsui cried dramatically causing both his daughter and best friend to roll their eyes at him.

Amarante ran to give her father a hug before he started causing a scene at not being greeted by his eldest child. "Where's Mom at?"

"I believe she is upstairs reading with Kaito while Hanaye is sleeping for once." Shunsui replied while rubbing his red eyes from lack of sleep. He had forgotten what having a newborn was like.

"Ronin got in trouble." Amarante told her father while moving to sit next to her uncle Jyuushiro.

"For what?" Shunsui asked curious.

"He said the a-word." Amarante replied. She had been upset by his comment at first but he had apologized and meant it. For some reason she believed that he had been trying to show off.

Shunsui couldn't help but laugh. "Poor kid. So do you know Rukia's husband?"

"Yeah, he's cool, and smart, and cute." Amarante said before moving to the pool table.

"He's what?" Shunsui asked exasperated.

Jyuushiro chuckled at his friend's expense. He was glad Amarante and Hanaye would have Nanao to defend them otherwise they would not have a social life when they eventually become teenagers.

* * *

The next day Yuzu walked casually through the courtyard making her way to her next class. This class was the only reason she liked Mondays right now. She strolled along, thinking about Kira, then wondering if Ichigo was really going to let her date without bothering her too much about it. She had a feeling their conversation wasn't finished yet and she knew that it would involve him "meeting" with Kira too.

Yuzu turned around a corner and smiled at a teenager with her long pink hair pulled back into a pony tail, and looked like she was waiting on someone. Yuzu moved forward until she reached her destination.

Yuzu entered the small classroom and greeted one of the best teachers she had ever had. "Good morning, Professor Ukitake."

* * *

Ichigo stood in the hallway a moment before slowly raising his hand and rapping lightly on the hard surface. He opened the door as he heard the muffled sound of a voice calling him in. He moved forward into the small room and greeted both Retsu and Ryuuken. He sat before them in the chair provided for him in front of the large table between them.

Ryuuken adjusted his glasses in a manner similar to his son's. "Dr. Kurosaki, we have received a complaint about your interference in some cases that were not assigned to you."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Let me guess, Dr. Saito made this complaint?"

"The person who makes the complaint is kept confidential as I am sure you are aware of." Ryuuken replied while opening a file before him.

"I don't need you to tell me, I know it was him. He's just upset because I'm saving _his_ patients lives." Ichigo responded a little too brusque.

"Why do you believe his patients lives were at risk?" Retsu asked trying not to show her irritation at the absurdity of this investigation.

"Did you not read the files? It's all noted very well. I made sure to document it all. If something's not there you can ask Nurse Yoshida and she can verify my accounts." Ichigo said aggravated.

Ryuuken narrowed his eyes at his son's friend. He didn't like the insinuation that he wasn't prepared for this meeting, but he found he couldn't fault the boy for anything else. The files were well documented and if anything, someone else needed to be looked at. "Get out and go to work."

Ichigo didn't need to be told twice. He stood up nodding slightly to Retsu before he vacated the room.

"So why the meeting if you didn't believe Saito's complaint?" Retsu asked of Ryuuken upon Ichigo's departure.

"I just wanted to make sure that this was something personal that Saito had against Kurosaki. We need to set up a competency review." Ryuuken stated as he started to make notes in some of the files.

Retsu smiled. She had never disliked anyone until she had met Saito. He had always made her skin crawl and not in a good way.

* * *

**A/N : **I am so, so, so sorry!! I had the worst case of writer's block for this chapter and I hoped I haven't done too much damage. I do apologize again for the lateness!! Now, I wonder if anyone can guess why I have introduced Ukitake into the story? I'm sure you will know who Yuzu saw!!:) Please let review and let me know what you think!!:)


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Bleach. Insert funny comment

**Warnings: **This is an AU story – so bear with me

**Pairings: **Mainly Ichiruki

**A/N:** Many thanks to my beta, ForeverSam, for helping me and giving me enough confidence to actually post this story This is my first fanfic, so please be gentle.

* * *

**Accidental Bliss**

_By: akirk85029_

* * *

Rukia snuggled further into the warmth that was provided by both her husband and the cocoon-like atmosphere supplied by their covers. Rukia was in between being awake and being asleep and she had the feeling Ichigo was in the same state of mind as one of his hands was slowly moving up and down, gently rubbing her stomach.

They both slightly jumped at the sudden sound of Gwen Stefani coming from Rukia's cell phone. Rukia cracked an eye open, trying to decide if she really wanted to answer it when Ichigo reached over her and pulled the cell phone hastily from its position on the bedside table. He answered the phone a little rudely as he was not happy about being forced awake so early on a Saturday morning.

Rukia smirked as she turned over and tried to scoot even closer to Ichigo's body but realized she was being impeded by something. Rukia shot up into a sitting position and threw the covers down and tried to ignore the cold chill that wrapped itself around her causing goose bumps to suddenly appear along her arms. Rukia pulled her shirt up around her stomach and smiled as she turned to Ichigo.

Ichigo grinned in return as he handed the phone to Rukia. "It's your sister!" He said as he lay back down and moved closer to Rukia's newly formed belly. He placed a hand on her stomach and moved his hand around, traveling across the new expanse as if he were giving it a thorough examination. He briefly heard Rukia say something to the effect of 'popping out overnight' and he agreed with her statement. One day she went from just looking like she was gaining weight to the next day finally looking like she was pregnant. Of course, he knew it would be happening soon since she'd hit her sixteenth week just yesterday.

Ichigo's hand stopped it's inspection of her newly rounded tummy as Rukia's hand came to rest on his. Ichigo looked up to her face and noticed that she was no longer on the phone. He leaned forward and gave a small kiss to his wife's stomach and then sat up to fully kiss Rukia.

Rukia raised her hand to caress Ichigo's face as he kissed her. "And I love you too!" Rukia stated as the kiss ended. When Rukia realized what she had just said she tried to move away.

Ichigo had been just as stunned at the sudden confession. He hadn't expected her to be the first to say it. He felt her try to distance herself from him but he wasn't going to let that happen. He pulled her right back against him and kissed her again this time trying to pour everything he felt into that single kiss.

Rukia opened her eyes after receiving the most loving kiss she's ever had and just stared into Ichigo's eyes.

"Rukia why are you afraid of it? Why do you think I won't feel the same way about you?" Ichigo asked finally voicing his thoughts.

Rukia looked away from him for a moment, biting her lip as she gathered what thoughts she could after having them completely tossed aside from a mere kiss. She shifted her gaze back to Ichigo. "No one's ever been truly interested in me; in fact one girl in high school made it her mission to make sure I knew how much I wasn't wanted. The only other guy I've ever been…intimate with, he tried to use me to gain financially."

Ichigo just watched her as she shifted around trying to avoid his gaze, he knew there was more to those stories than that simplistic version, but it was good enough for him. He understood where she was coming from a little better. He was also surprised to find out that he was only the second guy that she had ever been with, he didn't know why but he expected the number to be much higher but that also could be because he found her so downright irresistible.

Ichigo reached out and lifted Rukia's gaze to meet his. "First, all those people are idiots if they can't see how great you are and Second, I don't want you to mention any other men in our bed again!"

Rukia smiled at the trace of jealously that laced Ichigo's voice with his demand. She looked at him with a questioning look in her eyes but was not sure she wanted to voice the question as she wasn't sure she really wanted to know the answer.

Ichigo saw the return question in her eyes and decided to relieve her of her curiosity. "You're only the second for me as well. It was in college and ironically she stated that I was a commitment-phobic. I guess I just knew that it wasn't meant to be, I never wanted to be with her in the first place, it happened during one of the fraternity parties. Afterwards, she kept trying to get us to do things as a couple, but I was more interested in my studies. I saw a lot of things happen to my friends and I guess I just decided to focus more on work until I met you."

Rukia moved a little closer to him. He had surprised her as well. She also surmised there was more to this story but she decided she really didn't want to know too much more right now. "I think if you have a rule about me not mentioning any men, we should have the same for you not mentioning any women!"

Ichigo chuckled at her response. He was glad that she felt the same way that he did. He reached a hand up to brush back her unruly hair. "You look amazing!"

Rukia just rolled her eyes at him. "I'm sure I don't, I haven't even brushed my hair yet this morning."

"Why don't I show you how beautiful I think you are?" Ichigo said leaning forward giving her a light kiss before pushing her backwards down against the bed.

* * *

Rukia walked downstairs, after a nice long shower with her husband, dressed in the first maternity outfit she could wear. The sky blue top only added emphasis to her now rounded stomach and she loved it. Rukia couldn't wait to see how everyone reacted to seeing her today.

The first person she ran into was Yuzu who nearly dropped the plate of pancakes she was carrying. She quickly rushed to put it down and ran back out to Rukia before she could make it there and placed her hand on Rukia's stomach. "Oh my God, this is so cool. I can't believe your stomach, it looks so cute!" Yuzu gushed.

Isshin ran out after Yuzu, thinking maybe something was on fire; when he saw Rukia he squealed and ran to the girls with his arms wide open. He hugged both of them and then dropped to his knees and hugged Rukia again, laying the side of his face against Rukia's belly.

Rukia rolled her eyes at Ichigo as he smirked at her while he descended down the stairs and patted Isshin's head as if he were a puppy.

"Dad, let her go so she can go eat some breakfast!" Ichigo demanded of his father.

"Of course son!" Isshin said, releasing his daughter-in-law.

Ichigo raised a brow at the fact that his father had actually listened to him.

* * *

As everyone sat down at the breakfast table Ichigo turned to Rukia as he remembered something he had been instructed to inform her of. "Hey Rukia, on Wednesday we have to go see Dr. Unohana for your AFP test."

Rukia finished placing a couple of the chocolate chip pancakes onto her plate as she turned to her husband. "You set up that test on Valentine's Day?"

Ichigo just gave her a blank look. "Sorry, I didn't even know what date it was!"

Rukia smiled at him. "It's okay; at least maybe we might be able to find out the sex of the baby!"

Ichigo grinned back at her before pulling some pancakes onto his own plate.

"So you two decided to find out?" Isshin asked with a mouth full of food.

Rukia stared at him for a second before she figured out what he had asked. "Yeah, did you and Masaki ever find out?"

Isshin grinned at being asked about Masaki. "We did with Ichigo, but with the girls we decided we wanted to be surprised and…" Isshin stopped himself before he revealed something even his own children didn't know. "…because we had a boy already and so it didn't matter to us whether the twins were girls, boys, or one of each!"

"Was Mom happy with us?" Yuzu asked, wishing she could remember so much more about her mother.

Isshin reached over placing his hand on top of his daughter's. "Your mother was so happy with all of you! She was never disappointed nor did she ever want anything different than what she had been given!"

Yuzu smiled brightly at her father and turned to her brother who was smiling himself.

"By the way Yuzu, I think you should invite Kira over tonight for a full family dinner!" Isshin announced before taking another bite of his breakfast.

* * *

Ichigo watched everyone in the living room as they all waited for Kira to arrive. He watched Benjiro and was finding that if he saw Karin happy he was able to deal with her being with Benjiro Urahara. He looked over to see Yoruichi and Kisuke chatting away with his father and finally looked over to his wife who was talking animatedly to her sister, Momo, while her husband, Toushirou, was sitting right next to her, his hand resting casually on Momo's thigh.

Ichigo turned his head along with everyone else as Yuzu walked into the room with the man in question right next to her. Ichigo finally realized who they had been talking about as Kira was introduced to everyone by Yuzu. He didn't like the fact that he had not initially disliked the man when he had first met him over two months ago. He had really wanted to not like this guy.

As the evening progressed Ichigo realized his father was actually more concerned than he let on as he asked Kira seemingly innocent questions but Ichigo knew what he was really doing. Ichigo threw in his own interrogatory questions when he felt like knowing something. Every once in a while he would catch Yuzu's glare and he couldn't believe how much it resembled their mother's and he was sure his father was aware of the fact too as they both would back off when Yuzu gave them that particular glare.

When everyone else was back in the living room, Isshin and Ichigo were in the dining room picking up everything, as they had been given clean-up duty, when Kira approached the both of them.

"So is there anything I can do or say that will make either of you feel any better about my dating Yuzu?" Kira asked getting straight to the point.

Ichigo turned to the blond-haired man before him. "Why do you want to date her?"

Kira reached up and smoothed the hair over his face before answering. "Why not, she's beautiful, kind, considerate, caring, and most of all brilliant! Have you seen the work she's doing for her final project? I have never met anyone like her and I don't want to stop seeing her!"

Ichigo stepped forward. "So have you kissed her yet?"

Kira eyed him for a moment. "That is between Yuzu and myself!"

Isshin moved forward cutting off his son's next question. "You know, I actually like you Kira, but let me give you one warning. Don't ever hurt her or you _will_ regret it!"

Kira studied him for a moment before nodding. "Understood, sir!"

Ichigo turned to his father as Kira left the room. "Why'd you do that? I wasn't done yet!"

"Ichigo, my son, you need to learn to pick your battles and this one is not the one to fight. Yuzu had to start dating sometime and this kid seems a lot better than some of the guys that she could have chosen to go out with." Isshin stated before heading out of the room.

Ichigo grumbled before moving to finish picking up the rest of the dishes.

Isshin was stopped on his way out of the room by his youngest child as she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks daddy!" Yuzu said before heading back into the living room to rejoin everyone else.

* * *

Ichigo parked his car next to Rukia's Wednesday evening; he was looking forward to seeing her as he knew she had been disappointed that her aunt had been unable to determine the sex of the baby. The baby had been very stubborn and was unwilling to give in to their demands.

Ichigo had been thankful though that they had had no disturbances from Saito. He knew he might have to be extra cautious when he had received the letter stating he was going to have to testify at Saito's competency review in a few weeks. Until then he was going to have to keep his eyes and ears open.

Ichigo knew by Monday they should have the results from the lab on the AFP test and he had to admit he was a little nervous about that. He didn't want anything to be wrong.

Ichigo grinned when he saw Rukia walking towards him after he entered through the front door. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

"Thank you for the roses!" Rukia said after the kiss broke. She couldn't believe he had sent her a dozen red roses for Valentine's Day. "I have something for you as well." Rukia stated as she dragged Ichigo with her into the kitchen.

Ichigo gave her a questioning glare as he inspected the home-made chocolate sitting on the counter cooling off. "I thought you didn't cook!"

Rukia shrugged her shoulders giving him a return glare. "I don't, but you don't have to eat them if you don't want them."

Ichigo sighed as he realized he was going to have to at least eat one. He slowly reached over and picked one of the chocolates up and hesitantly placed one in his mouth. As the chocolate melted against his tongue he realized that he recognized the sweet taste. "Did Yuzu make these?"

Rukia crossed her arms over her chest. "She helped but I actually made them!"

Ichigo chuckled at her response. "I didn't mean that, I just haven't tasted this particular kind in a long time. It was one of Mom's personal recipes."

Rukia lowered her arms. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize. You don't have to eat them."

Ichigo pulled Rukia to him and kissed her on the temple. "Don't worry, they're good. I just wasn't expecting it. Thank you!"

Rukia rested her head against his chest and smiled. "I should have known something was up with the way Yuzu was acting at first."

Ichigo grinned and then moved down to his knees and rested his hand on Rukia's stomach. "And you? Already being so disobedient to your parents!"

Rukia's hand flew down to his and Ichigo looked up at her suddenly wondering if something was wrong. Rukia shook her head at him. "No, I just had a weird sensation. It was almost like a fluttering or something!" Rukia stated as Isshin walked into the kitchen as well.

"You felt the baby?" Isshin asked merrily before moving down next to Ichigo in the same position.

Ichigo glared at his father. "You know we can't feel the baby yet, only Rukia can right now?"

Isshin ignored him and kept talking to his grandchild hoping that the baby would move to his voice too. His wish was granted when Rukia made a move again.

"That just feels so weird!" Rukia stated looking at her husband as he stood up.

Isshin jumped up and around. "Yes, that's one for grandpa!"

Ichigo just rolled his eyes at his father and leaned in and gave Rukia a kiss. He couldn't wait until he would be able to feel the baby moving around as well.

* * *

As Saturday rolled around Rukia was sitting at the dining table going through some of Yuzu's project for school trying to help her with the business aspect of it when Isshin walked in holding a calendar.

Both Yuzu and Rukia looked up at him as the chair he pulled out scraped along the floor before he sat in it.

"Rukia dear, you reached seventeen weeks as of yesterday correct?" Isshin asked just to verify.

"Yeah." Rukia replied wondering where he was going with this.

"This is a special calendar, it doesn't denote any years, but I used it to track of all of Masaki's pregnancies. You see here is when Ichigo was actually due and here is when he was actually born. He was two weeks late, should have known then that he would be a momma's boy!" Isshin said with a slight chuckle careful to keep the lower portion of the calendar hidden in his lap.

Rukia smiled at her father-in-law. "Is that why he took her death so hard?" Rukia finally asked.

Isshin lowered his eyes for a second. "Rukia, that boy of mine is one of the most stubborn people I have ever known. When he does talk to you about it and I'm sure he will, do not believe him when he tells you it was his fault. He blames himself for her death and it was not in any way his fault."

Rukia nodded her head at him in acknowledgement. She knew Ichigo was not telling her something important about his mother's death but she wondered why he would place the blame solely on himself.

Rukia feeling the sudden sullen atmosphere in the room tried to change the topic. "So what would be a perfect gift to give a boy for his eleventh birthday?" Rukia asked.

Isshin smiled softly at Rukia. He silently thanked her for the switch in topic. "When's Ronin's birthday again?"

"Well, it's actually less than three weeks but his birthday party will be three weeks from today." Rukia responded.

Yuzu looked up and finally asked a question she had been curious about. "Why is there such a large age difference between you, Momo, and Ronin?"

Rukia laughed as she realized she had only told Ichigo the story. "Well, mom had a hard time being pregnant with both Momo and me. We are only ten month apart. Well the doctor told her she wouldn't live if she got pregnant again, so she had her tubes tied. So fifteen years later it was a big surprise when my mom ended up pregnant again. Apparently one of her tubes came untied or something. I remember my parents had argued long and hard about whether or not to keep the baby knowing that it could possibly kill my mother. Mom ended up winning the argument, how I'm not sure, but I remember the further along she got, the more problems she had. Finally they did a c-section about three weeks before Ronin was due. Mom didn't have a choice anymore it was either they take the baby from her early or we lose them both. Dad made the decision for her and told them to take the baby. During the c-section, they had to usher dad out of the room with Ronin as they had to do an emergency hysterectomy on my mother as she started hemorrhaging very badly, so badly in fact that she almost died. I think mom was upset at not ever being able to have any more kids again but she was finally happy I think because she finally had given dad a son."

Yuzu and Isshin gave her a look at her last statement.

Rukia smiled at the both of them. "I'm not saying my mom and dad didn't love us or anything, it was just important because of dad's social standing for a son to be born. I know they love us just as much as they love him!"

"Does Ronin know about the circumstances of his birth?" Yuzu asked still curious.

"I don't think so. It's definitely not something my dad talks about; I don't think he wants to acknowledge how close he came to losing mom. I know mom doesn't because that's not something she would want him to dwell on. And Momo and I might discuss it every once in a while but we make sure Ronin is no where around when and if we do which is not very often. It was so long ago now." Rukia said in response.

Yuzu decided it was her turn to try and change the topic now. "So I was thinking that maybe we should have your baby shower sometime in late May! I was thinking that I could really get to work on it after I have finished my finals, unless you want it sooner, I can try and work it in."

Rukia stopped Yuzu there. "Yuzu, it can wait until after your finals. I do not want you to be distracted because of a baby shower. The finals take precedence!"

Yuzu gave her a look stating that she didn't quite share that opinion but didn't disagree with her. "Momo and I have a few ideas that we are going to work on together if you don't mind?"

Rukia just shook her head. "You guys can do whatever you want."

Yuzu just grinned, as did Isshin, from ear to ear.

* * *

Rukia gave a slight groan as she lifted herself from the seat of her vehicle. She was tired already this week and it was only late Monday morning. She had received a call earlier that morning at work from one of the hospital staff advising her that the AFP test had come back positive and they wanted to know if she could come in today for further tests. She had been trying to get a hold of Ichigo all morning but she had no luck in being able to get into contact with him.

As Rukia stepped into the elevator she realized that she recognized someone. "Isshin what are you doing here?"

Isshin smiled at her. "I could ask you the same, but I'm here to pick up some medicine from the pharmacy for one of my patients."

Rukia grinned back at him. "Great, can you see if you can locate Ichigo and tell him to meet me on the second floor?"

"Why what's going on?" Isshin asked out of concern now.

"Well, my AFP test apparently came back positive and so now I have to have further testing and I want Ichigo there in case it's not Aunt Retsu who has to perform this test and I have a feeling that she won't be the one to do it for some reason." Rukia replied.

"Okay, I'll see where he is and if I can't find him I will come and stay with you during the test! Are they doing an ultrasound or the amniocentesis?" Isshin asked.

"I don't know, they didn't tell me over the phone." Rukia answered.

Isshin wasn't comfortable with this and he didn't know why. "Okay, just wait until one of us joins you before they start the test."

"Okay." Rukia said as she exited the elevator.

* * *

Isshin finally found his son on the eighth floor of the hospital just coming out of surgery. "Boy, I've been searching for you forever it seems like."

Ichigo cast a confused look at his father. "What are you doing here?"

"Rukia's been trying to get a hold of you all morning!" Isshin stated.

"Why, what's wrong? I've been in surgery all morning." Ichigo responded as Dr. Unohana and Uryu walked out behind him with Tatsuki walking out of the monitoring room.

"Rukia stated that her AFP test came back positive and they called her in for more tests." Isshin replied.

"And you left her alone?" Ichigo queried.

"Not exactly, I told her if I couldn't find you, I would join her so she wouldn't have to go through it alone!" Isshin stated, irritated at his son's inference.

Retsu stopped the both of them in their argument. "What do you mean the test came back positive? It was negative!"

Everyone saw the fear that reflected in Ichigo's eyes for a brief second.

"Where in the hell is she?" Ichigo yelled out.

"She got off on the second floor." Isshin replied and before he realized it Ichigo was half-way down the hall followed closely by Uryu and Tatsuki. Isshin turned to Retsu before shrugging his shoulders because even though he knew something wasn't right, he had no idea as to what was going on. Both Isshin and Retsu took off as well following the trio before them.

* * *

"Mrs. Kurosaki?" Hyota Saito stated as he walked into the waiting room. He watched her recognition of him from her Christmas party and her slow acquiescence of his request for her to follow him.

Rukia took long, slow steps as she followed the gray haired doctor to one of the exam rooms at the end of the corridor. She did not like this guy in the least. She moved past him as he held the door for her and she shivered from being that close to him. The man gave her the absolute creeps.

"Rukia, may I call you Rukia? I am here to perform the amniocentesis since I am one of the few here able to administer with the best results." Hyota said as he closed the door behind him.

Rukia just nodded her head as she moved to sit in one of the small chairs on the side of the room.

"Why don't you just hop up there on the exam table and we can get started?" Hyota offered.

"If you don't mind, I prefer to wait until my husband arrives." Rukia stated.

"Is he aware then of your appointment today? I didn't see him in the waiting room." Hyota questioned.

"Well, no, I haven't been able to get a hold of him yet." Rukia said as she placed her purse down in the chair and reluctantly removed her jacket.

"We do have other patients and even though this procedure can be dangerous, we do need to keep the flow of people going!" Hyota stated as he moved forward to the cabinets to pull out the main piece of equipment he needed.

Everything about this felt wrong to Rukia, but she had no reason to doubt this man's words. Rukia grudgingly moved towards the exam table and laid down on it praying that Ichigo would get there before the procedure started.

Hyota's eyes gleamed at the overly long needle used for this particular test. He couldn't wait to see that Kurosaki brat's face after this. He knew the boy would know it was him without a doubt but there would be no way to trace it back to him. Hyota was going to make absolutely sure of that. He turned to Rukia holding the needle up next him and smiled as her eyes enlarged at the sight of the enormous needle.

Rukia's hands flew instinctively to her stomach. Everything in her heart, body, and soul was telling her that something was completely wrong here.

* * *

**A/N : **Well, I hope that was okay for everyone!!:) I kind of revealed a bit more about several people's pasts. Also, I'm back to working on three stories at once!! And back to college already for the fall. Summer went by way too fast! Well, I hope I did okay!!:) Please review and let me know what you think! PS : I guess I should add when I started this story I didn't know that Momo's birthday was in June - I picked a month and then decided I thought it would be funny to have Rukia and Momo being born ten months apart. And it shows how bad my guessing is too!!:)


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Bleach. Insert funny comment

**Warnings: **This is an AU story – so bear with me:)

**Pairings: **Mainly Ichiruki

**A/N:** Many thanks to my beta, ForeverSam, for helping me and giving me enough confidence to actually post this story:) This is my first fanfic, so please be gentle.

****I do want to point out that my beta has temporarily lost her internet connection at home and she cannot download at school so this chapter is unbeta'd (is that a word...lol) Anyways, I apologize for any errors.****

* * *

**Accidental Bliss**

_By: akirk85029_

* * *

Ichigo ran faster than he could ever remember running before in his life. He could hear the footsteps of several people behind him, trying to keep up with him. Ichigo knew that they would follow him where ever he went, but he couldn't focus on them right now, he could only think of getting to Rukia. He didn't even flinch when he had swung the heavy metal door that opened to the stairwell, which caused a resounding clang when it bounced off the concrete wall. Ichigo took to taking as many steps as he could at a time, trying not to trip and end up rolling down the stairs. He couldn't afford to hurt himself right now.

Tatsuki and Uryu glanced at each other as they ran after Ichigo knowing that he wasn't going to slow down to wait for them at all. They also knew why he was running as if his life depended on it, they knew it was because someone else's life might depend on it if what they all suspected was true.

Isshin was behind Tatsuki and Uryu with Retsu right next to him. He turned his head slightly to the woman running next to him. "Do you know what's going on? Is Rukia in danger or something?"

Retsu ran silently next to Rukia's father-in-law debating on how much to tell him. He technically didn't work for the hospital even though he was listed as a consultant. "I don't know how much I can reveal, but if a certain person is involved in that phone call to make Rukia come here today, than it could be plausible that she is in danger."

Isshin thanked Retsu quickly before picking up his pace. He didn't want to be too far behind his son. He had to stop Rukia from being hurt because he didn't know if he could take it if his son suffered the same fate he had. He also knew enough to know that if something serious happened to Rukia he might not get his son back. He might just lose him this time.

Ichigo continued flying down the stairs; he wondered briefly how long it could possibly take to go down six flights of stairs. He could hear his heart pounding loudly in his ears. He flew down some more steps, his shoes making squeaking sounds as they hit the hard gray steps, praying that he would make it time. He swore that he would kill Saito if he had hurt Rukia in anyway.

* * *

Rukia jumped down from her seat, keeping her arms wrapped around her rounded stomach. "I think I would prefer to wait. My aunt is the chief-of-staff and I'm sure she wouldn't mind if the patient outflow suffered for only a few minutes."

Hyota ground his teeth together, gripping harder onto the overly large needle in his hand. Ichigo's wife was proving to be a little more difficult than he had anticipated. "Listen here, you will do as you're told! Now get back over here."

Rukia turned to grab her things. She knew without a doubt that something was wrong and she was not going to wait to find out what it was. She would just find her aunt and discuss this with her and if she had to reschedule this procedure, than it would just have to be rescheduled.

Hyota saw Rukia turn to start gathering her things up to leave. He couldn't let her get out of this room or he would loose his chance to get back at Ichigo. He charged forward.

Rukia attempted to cry out as she felt foreign arms come around her but a large hand clamped over her mouth cutting off any chance of her calling for help. She tried to squirm away as the huge needle was placed up against her neck. She winced feeling the tip next to her skin and knew that she had to do something; she couldn't let him complete whatever he had planned.

"I'm tired of your husband always meddling with my patients and now he has the audacity to force me into a competency hearing! He needs to learn his place!" Hyota ground out against Rukia's ear.

Rukia gulped, breathing harshly through her nose as Hyota Saito had one of his large hands completely covering her mouth. She tried to ignore the fact that she could feel something pressing against her back and was disgusted to know that this bastard was enjoying this entirely too much. She started struggling though when she felt him start moving the needle from her neck down to her stomach, realizing that his intent was to harm her baby.

Hyota had to cease his movements when Rukia started really struggling against him. He laughed knowing that she was trying to throw him off. "Just relax and it will all be over with quickly."

Rukia finally bit into his hand as a last resort and pushed him away from her, trying to spit the foul taste of him from her mouth. Rukia tried to run but she felt something large connect with her feet sending her flying to the white linoleum floor. Rukia twisted her body to keep from landing on her stomach, but only managed to clip her head against the hard steel counter next to her, effectively knocking her out before she even hit the ground.

Hyota grinned from his position on the floor, his leg raised enough from when he had lifted it to trip her. Ichigo's wife's prone body was splayed out before him. He knew this was going to be much easier now.

* * *

Ichigo rounded the corner when he reached the second floor not really knowing where he needed to start looking. He headed over to where the main waiting room was located and noticed immediately that Rukia was no longer in the semi-crowded room. Ichigo spun around and started heading down one of the lesser populated hallways and began throwing open doors looking for any sign of his wife. He didn't care that he might be invading on anyone's privacy; he just needed to find Rukia.

Tatsuki and Uryu arrived shortly after Ichigo had opened the first door and followed his lead, knowing that they could cover more ground this way. All of them ignoring glares from anyone that they barged in on and the curious stares of anyone standing within the vicinity.

Isshin and Retsu were close behind Tatsuku and Uryu and Isshin moved ahead of them to start his own search. Retsu moved over to the nurse's desk to start asking questions and to get Ryuuken down here as soon as possible.

Ichigo rounded another sharp corner and noticed that this hallway was basically deserted and he would have moved on if he hadn't of noticed that only one door was closed and that a light was shining through the bottom of the door indicating that someone might be in there. Something about this was bugging him and he couldn't just walk away. Ichigo drifted closer to the door almost afraid of what he would find. He grasped the cool metal handle of the stark white door and threw it open. Ichigo felt his heart stop beating at the sight before him.

* * *

Hyota slowly rolled Ichigo's wife onto her back, ignoring the red that was just starting to pool around her head. He didn't realize that she had hit her head that hard. He brought his fingers up to her soft neck and felt for a pulse. He wasn't sure how to feel with the fact that she was still alive but he took his time bringing his hand back down to her stomach making sure to feel everything in between.

Hyota lifted Rukia's shirt up to reveal her small rounded belly and his hands ran around her stomach trying to feel for the baby's position within the womb. He rested one rough hand on the left side of Rukia's belly and positioned the needle with his other hand. Just as the tip of the needle pierced the pale flesh bare to Hyota's view, the door to the room swung forcefully open. Hyota stared in shock at the person he had assumed to still be in surgery.

Ichigo saw Rukia's still form on the floor with her shirt up around her stomach. Ichigo took notice of the long needle barely sticking into his wife's skin and felt his uncontrollable anger rise forward. Ichigo lunged forward, feeling only slight satisfaction when his fist connected with Hyota's face sending the man flying backwards.

Isshin heard his son's fierce cry and immediately went to the source of the noise at the end of a particularly deserted hallway. Isshin ran swiftly into the only room with the light on and saw Ichigo standing over an older man. Isshin moved determinedly into the room and noticed Rukia's body unmoving on the floor. His face paled and he moved forward to try and help his son. He moved to stand in front of Ichigo and noticed that his son was barely holding onto his sanity, he knew he needed to keep his son from ripping the other man apart right now although he was tempted to finish the job his son had started. When Isshin saw Tatsuki and Uryu enter the room he called them forward to take a hold of Ichigo.

Ichigo fought against the tight hold some people had on him, he couldn't even recognize anyone standing around him. His sole intent was to destroy the being that he had struck with his fist. He swore through clinched teeth as he was pulled to the ground, growling the entire way. Ichigo struggled violently until he realized that he wasn't going anywhere at the moment.

Isshin looked over at the older man and knew that the man was in too much shock to do anything at the moment so he moved over to check on Rukia. He pulled the needle out and thanked God that it had not gone in any further, but he would still want an ultrasound to be safe. He reached forward and sighed with great relief when he felt her pulse. Isshin turned his head when he heard others enter the room.

Retsu nearly lost her normally calm composure when she saw Rukia on the floor next to Isshin; she turned her head and saw that Ichigo was being forcefully held to the ground by Tatsuki and Uryu. She moved towards Isshin and her niece barely acknowledging the fact that Ryuuken was behind her with several uniformed officers.

Isshin carefully gathered Rukia into his arms and he stopped briefly next to Retsu on his way out to tell her which room he would be in so she could tell his son when he was coherent enough to follow.

Hyota snapped out of his trance when the handcuffs were tightly snapped onto his wrists. He struggled for a small second before he was held still by the officers. He turned his cold hazel eyes on the person he truly hated. "Don't think this is the last of this boy!"

Ichigo grunted and tried to push off the people still holding him down. He wanted nothing more than to rip off Hyota's head at this point. "If you go anywhere near her again, I will finish this!" Ichigo spat back with vehemence, hoping that he would have the chance to rip him apart since he was being denied it right now.

After Hyota was forced out of the room, Ichigo finally stopped struggling and took a second to actually breathe. He slowly turned his head and noticed that Rukia was no longer on the floor. He hadn't even noticed that she had been moved. His heart was still pounding against his chest and didn't slow down when he noticed the blood on the floor, the red contrasting sharply with the white of the floor. Ichigo turned his gaze to the styrofoam ceiling and tried to slow his haggard breathing. _Rukia you better be okay! You have to be._

Ichigo turned towards Retsu taking notice that she was in the room with him and finally realized that it had been Tatsuki and Uryu holding him down as well. He opened his mouth a couple of times to voice his question but found that words escaped him right now.

Retsu watched as Rukia's husband had struggled on the floor, realizing that Uryu and Tatsuki were really having to use both of their full body weight to keep Ichigo down on the ground. Memories of when she had been told that she had lost both Kenpachi and Yachiru surfaced and she struggled to keep those memories down. She needed to keep her focus. Retsu looked down to see Ichigo trying to ask her something. She now realized that he wasn't even sure that Rukia was alive. "Rukia is okay as far as I know. Your father took her to another room to make sure."

Ichigo sighed in relief. "Can I see her?"

Retsu took note that he seemed to be back in the right frame of mind and then nodded to Tatsuki and Uryu to release their death grip on Ichigo. "Follow me."

* * *

Rukia slowly opened her eyes and blinked a few times to clear her blurry vision. She suddenly had a few flashbacks and tried to sit up too fast which caused her head to start pounding.

"Take it easy! You're safe now." Isshin stated as he turned Rukia's gaze towards his and was satisfied when she recognized him and visibly relaxed.

Rukia leaned back down against the examining table she was on and brought her hand to her head and realized that it was bandaged. She then realized that Isshin was doing an ultrasound on her stomach. "How's my baby?"

"Well, he or she seems to be doing fine, but still refuses to let us know whether he is a he or she is a she. I've never seen a kid so stubborn." Isshin joked trying to lighten the mood.

Rukia gave a small smile and just listened to her baby's heartbeat. It was like music to her ears right now. "What happened after I….?"

"Well, Ichigo kind of went a little crazy when he found you. Hopefully he should be here shortly." Isshin started and then went on to tell her what he had seen as he had been the second person to arrive.

Rukia wanted to ask more questions but then the door suddenly opened and she watched as her aunt Retsu walked in followed closely by Ichigo, Tatsuki and Uryu.

Ichigo moved forward and grasped Rukia's hand tightly in his and moved his other hand to her bandaged head. He traced his fingers along the gauze and felt that anger start to rise again.

Rukia saw the change in his eyes and squeezed his hand to get his attention. "It was not your fault so stop it! Let it go for right now!"

Isshin turned off the ultrasound machine and ushered everyone out of the room giving his son some much needed privacy for once.

Ichigo's gaze softened as he stared at her. He lowered his head. "But it was Rukia. If I hadn't been checking on his work, he wouldn't have come after you!"

Rukia reached up and grabbed Ichigo's shirt and yanked his face down towards hers and was thankful that he had pulled back a little because she hadn't realized her own strength and would have made him head butt her. All she needed was another concussion right now. "Listen closely Ichigo….This was NOT your fault! You cannot blame yourself for that man's insanity."

Ichigo wanted to protest but Rukia did pull him down further and kiss him. After the kiss broke, Rukia stared into his soft brown eyes wishing that she could take away his pain. She moved her hand from his shirt to his face to lightly brush her fingers down his face. "Thank you."

Ichigo moved a small chair over and sat down taking Rukia's hands into his own and kissed them lightly. "Rukia I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you. I couldn't think anymore when I saw you lying there and not moving. I couldn't do anything to save my mother and I thought I was too late! I love you Rukia!"

Rukia brought his hands closer to her and interlaced their fingers together. She smiled when he looked back at her. "We're fine now and Saito will face the courts now. At least he can't practice medicine anymore now. Besides you're not allowed to kick his ass if I can't do it first!" She grinned when she heard Ichigo's small laugh and felt better.

* * *

Isshin headed towards the front door of the hospital and turned to his left where he saw Ryuuken and several uniformed and plain clothed officers talking. He raised his brow when he realized that Ryuuken was going to be giving a very detailed account to the police. He noticed that the man that had attacked his daughter-in-law was sitting in the back of one of the police cruisers.

Isshin eased himself over towards the car and smiled when Ryuuken noticed him. Isshin just shook his head when he saw that Ryuuken nodded at him. Isshin knew that Ryuuken was going to buy him time and couldn't believe how well the other man knew him.

Isshin quietly opened the door to the car and slipped in. He turned to face the older man before him, smiling at the dark and angry bruise that seemed to cover half the man's face already.

Hyota turned towards the man and remembered seeing the man before. "What the hell do you want?"

Isshin's smile darkened, his dark eyes piercing the man before him. "You don't ever come near my son or his family again or I will personally take care of you!"

Hyota snorted. "Don't ever think this is over!"

Before Isshin could respond the car door was opened and Isshin noticed his son's friend, Chad, standing in the way.

"Dr. Kurosaki you are not allowed to be here." Chad simply stated.

"Of course, I will be on my way now!" Isshin bellowed before crawling out of the back seat. He gave the handcuffed man one last menacing glare before turning to head back into the hospital figuring he gave the love birds enough time alone.

* * *

Karin was at her dad's house with Ben and Kira waiting for Yuzu to get home from her class so they could all have lunch together. Karin rolled her eyes listening to the men talk; she swore that Ben was worse than a woman at times. She never thought that she would be in love with someone that liked to talk so much. She listened as Ben talked about when he was in track and she had to admit that she did like to go watch him run when he was still participating. She did join in the conversation at one point telling Kira that Ben is a chemistry major and in graduate school right now.

Everyone nearly jumped when Karin's cell phone starting vibrating on the table. Karin picked up the phone to see who was calling and nearly groaned. She hardly ever answered when her father called but for some reason she felt that she needed to answer this call.

Ben stopped his conversation with Yuzu's boyfriend when he noticed Karin's body tense up. He knew something was wrong when she wasn't calling her father idiotic names over the phone. He lifted his yellow eyes up to meet Karin's. "What's wrong?"

Karin opened her mouth to say something and closed it again. She couldn't believe what her father had just told her. She had never really thought much about the fact that her brother and Rukia were having a baby until they had nearly lost it. This was her niece or nephew. This was part of her flesh and blood.

Ben knew something bad had happened if Karin couldn't even voice it. He stood up and walked over pulling Karin into his arms and noted that she hadn't even protested it. He wrapped his arms around her hoping that he was giving her much needed comfort.

Karin wrapped her arms around Ben's waist pulling him closer to her. She pressed her nose against his chest smelling his cologne that she loved so much. "Rukia was attacked today and the man tried to kill the baby!"

Ben held onto Karin tighter. He hadn't seen her this upset since her mother had died. He remembered that day horribly well for having been a kid himself. Karin had always been his best friend even before they had become an item.

Kira moved into the kitchen to give the two some privacy and waited for Yuzu to get home. He wasn't sure how she was going to take it if she hadn't already heard the news.

* * *

Yuzu was walking home twirling around with a grand smile on her face, she was so happy. She had just received another A on her paper in Professor Ukitake's class and she was thrilled. She was on her way home to start on the lunch that she was going to have with her boyfriend, her sister, and hopefully her soon to be brother-in-law. Yuzu giggled thinking about how much her father kept dropping hints to Ben to propose to Karin. She knew though, that Ben wouldn't do it when everyone was expecting him to.

Yuzu stopped at the last corner before she was officially on her street when her cell starting ringing. She smiled wondering what her father needed and answered the phone with an upbeat greeting. Yuzu's smiled faltered and she already felt the tear rolling down her cheek. She hastily brushed it away with the back of her hand. She pulled her things closer to her and ran home, her feet barely hitting the pavement as she ran.

When Yuzu reached her house she swung the door open wincing when it nearly cracked the wall. She saw Karin and Ben moving towards the living room, their arms around each other and she nodded her head towards her sister when Karin looked back at her and moved to the kitchen thinking that maybe if she did something she wouldn't be so worried or angry until Rukia made it home.

Yuzu then saw that Kira was in the kitchen apparently waiting for her, she gave a small sad smile heading into his open arms. She couldn't believe how much of her worry and anger dissipated when Kira's arms wrapped around her. Yuzu wanted her sister-in-law at home now so she could see for herself that Rukia and the baby were okay.

* * *

Hisana had just finished doing a little shopping at the mall trying to pass some time by before she had to go and pick up Ronin from school when she received a phone call from her sister. She was in no way expecting what Retsu had told her. Hisana nearly dropped all of her bags as she hastily made her way to her car. Hisana threw all the bags in the trunk of her car, not taking care of the fact that some of it was breakable. She threw open the car door to climb in and dialed her husband's number before pulling out of her parking spot.

Byakuya was about to walk into a conference room to start the meeting when his cell phone started ringing. He slowly reached into his jacket pocket and answered his cell when he saw that it was his wife calling.

Toushirou was waiting for his father-in-law to enter the room so they could start the meeting that was called to discuss the possible purchase of an old building in the downtown district. It wasn't the building they really after, but the land it was on as it was prime real estate. The building would be demolished and a new one built in its place. Toushirou didn't believe they would have any problems acquiring this property. He turned his head when he saw Byakuya through the glass surrounding the meeting room and was surprised when Byakuya stopped to answer a call. Toushirou was even more surprised when Byakuya waved him over.

Byakuya waited until his white-haired son-in-law finally appeared in front of him. For the first time in Byakuya's life, he was going to skip a meeting that he himself had called. Byakuya informed Toushirou of what had happened and advised him to see Momo once the meeting was over.

Toushirou ran a hand through his short hair as he couldn't believe what he had just been told. He immediately reached for his cell to call his wife. He turned around and saw through the glass that Rangiku and Renji were giving him curious glances. He just held a finger up to tell them that he would be in there in a minute.

* * *

Momo was gliding along, enjoying the day so far. She couldn't wait until Rukia came back from her appointment. She hoped everything turned out okay, she couldn't believe that Rukia had needed an amniocentesis. She had offered to go with her, but Rukia had declined, still hoping to get a hold of Ichigo. Momo had finished her work early and was currently debating on whether or not to go home early when she saw her father step into an elevator. She furrowed her brows as she thought that he was supposed to be in a meeting. She soon heard her cell and smiled when she saw that Toushirou was calling her.

Momo hung up after talking with her husband and rushed to catch up with her father. She wanted to go with him to see if Rukia was okay. She had just stepped into the elevator when her cell rang again, this time it was her mother calling. Momo answered and talked with her mother until the elevator reached the garage. Momo ran out, brushing back stray strands of her chocolate brown hair out of her pale face. She saw that her father had just pulled out of his parking spot and she stepped out right in front of the car before he could leave. Momo saw her father give a slight nod before she ran over and slid into the passenger seat.

* * *

Rukia was standing in one of the hospital garages with Ichigo, Isshin and Retsu as they walked with her to her car. Rukia knew she wasn't going to be able to drive with her concussion and her aunt Retsu had already told her she wasn't allowed to go to work for the next few days.

They all stopped as they heard the sound of a fast approaching car and Retsu just shook her head as her sister parked her car very badly leaving the car running as she stepped out to get to Rukia.

Hisana pulled her daughter to her and then pushed her away lightly so she could give her the once over and make sure that Rukia was indeed okay. Hisana brushed her fingers slightly over the bandage on Rukia's head. "What else did he do?"

"Mom, calm down, they have the man in custody." Rukia said trying trying to get her mother to act normal again. She had never seen her mother this shaken up before.

Hisana released a haggard breath and placed her hand down on Rukia's belly. "How's the little one then?"

Rukia smiled. "He or she is doing okay."

Rukia was interrupted further by the sight of her father's car and was momentarily surprised to see him there.

Rukia smiled at Momo to let her know that she was okay when she saw her sister's worried face as Momo moved from the passenger side of the car. "I'm okay!" Rukia stated again as Momo hugged her this time.

Byakuya took in Rukia's appearance and sighed, releasing some of the tension that had been building. He turned his attention towards his son-in-law. "I want to know exactly what happened."

* * *

Rukia sat down in the living room at Isshin's home after everyone had checked her out to make sure that she was okay when she got home. She was so tired especially after her father's interrogation. She was thankful that everyone was there, but right now she just wanted to go to sleep. She groaned when she saw Ichigo heading towards her.

"Rukia, you should come back in here. You can't go to sleep right now. I know this is going to be a hard night for you." Ichigo said trying not to feel anymore guilty because she couldn't go to sleep because of her concussion.

Rukia held her hand out and smiled when she felt Ichigo's grasp as he helped her up. She moved into his arms and snuggled against his chest. She then realized that she could go to sleep standing up against her husband. She closed her eyes for a brief second and then when she felt Ichigo move; she jolted as if she woke up from one of those falling dreams. Rukia smiled sheepishly at Ichigo knowing that he had realized what she was doing.

Ichigo smiled and leaned in placing his lips against Rukia's in a slow kiss, savoring the fact that she was alive and in his arms.

* * *

**A/N : **I am so sorry for taking so long in getting this chapter out!! My muse had left me for quite a while and I'm not quite sure if I have any writing mojo back yet! I hope this chapter was okay and I hope I haven't lost anyone because of the long wait! Does anyone really think it is over with Saito? I hope not!! I still have to reveal why I brought Ukitake into the story too!:) Does anyone think I will release the sex of the baby before it's born? Please review and let me know what you think. Thanks so much for everyone that has reviewed and stayed with this story!!:)


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Bleach. Insert funny comment

**Warnings: **This is an AU story – so bear with me

**Pairings: **Mainly Ichiruki

**A/N:** Many thanks to my beta, ForeverSam, for helping me and giving me enough confidence to actually post this story This is my first fanfic, so please be gentle.

****I do want to point out that my beta has temporarily lost her internet connection at home and she cannot download at school so this chapter is unbeta'd (is that a word...lol) Anyways, I apologize for any errors.****

* * *

**Accidental Bliss**

_By: akirk85029_

* * *

Rukia sighed as she felt the hot water cascade over body. She ran a hand through her drenched hair as she heard Ichigo reaching for the shampoo. She smiled as she heard his grumble about the scent; she bought the strawberry scented kind when she had been in a torturous mood last week.

Rukia was thankful that things had settled down for the night, as she had all the attention she could handle right now. She felt strong hands run through her dark tresses as she realized that Ichigo was going to wash her hair as well as his own. She wasn't going to complain. Rukia loved how he was massaging her head as he was giving his own close personal inspection to where she had hit her head earlier today. He had removed her bandage before the shower because he had wanted to see her wound for himself.

Rukia had felt the need for a nice hot shower after the majority of people left, she didn't know why she had the feeling, but it wasn't one she could ignore. She smiled though remembering that it hadn't taken Ichigo long to follow her upstairs. She had heard the padded footsteps on the stairs before she had even entered the bathroom.

Rukia wasn't sure what all Ichigo had planned to keep her awake because she wasn't sure she would last for twenty-four hours. She felt Ichigo's hands move from her head after rinsing and felt his arms wrap around her bringing her back to rest against his chest. Rukia felt Ichigo's lips move gently across her neck and she smiled believing that Ichigo had an excellent idea.

* * *

Isshin bounded down the stairs the next morning, excited by the bright glorious sun that was shining already. He had a jovial smile plastered on his lips as he pranced into the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee. He probably didn't need it, but old habits die hard. Isshin reached into the cabinet and pulled out the blue ceramic mug with a picture of his late wife on it and turned to reach for the already half empty pot. He gave it a confused stare before he turned around to see his son with a full mug in front of him with a snarl on his face and his daughter-in-law with a glass of grape juice in front of her while her face held a similar look to her husband. Isshin might have laughed if he was sure he wouldn't have been killed for it.

"Rukia come on and let me examine you and see if you can go to sleep." Isshin said hoping to keep his head for the time being.

Rukia slowly pulled herself into a standing position and shuffled behind her father-in-law, as that was the most energy she could gather at the moment.

Rukia followed Isshin into one of the small rooms and slowly pushed herself up on the examining table desperately trying to keep her eyes open. She wanted to sleep so badly.

Rukia nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt Isshin's fingers on her face. She muttered a small apology when she realized he was trying to open one of her eyes. She hadn't realized that she had even closed them.

Rukia sat there quietly as Isshin ran different tests and answered his questions when he would ask them randomly. She smiled softly when she heard him tell her to go to bed. This was one directive she didn't mind following at all.

* * *

Ichigo watched as his wife and father walked the short distance over to the clinic. He raised his latest cup of coffee to his lips and grimaced as the bitter liquid scalded his throat on its way down. He was really not a big coffee drinker but there were times like now where he just needed it.

Ichigo sighed thinking about his conversation with Rukia's father yesterday. He had been completely surprised by the fact that Byakuya had not dragged Rukia home and forbade her from being with him ever again. It would have probably been what he would have done if their positions had been reversed.

Instead Byakuya had insisted that he meet him at his office sometime today. Ichigo silently wondered if that would be when the man would have him taken care of. Ichigo hoped not, he did actually want to be around to see his child born.

Ichigo was brought out of his thoughts when a soft hand touched his cheek drawing his attention elsewhere. Ichigo gave a small smile when he saw his wife's sleepy face. "I take it we can finally go to sleep."

Rukia just shook her head in the affirmative. She was already mostly asleep on her feet.

Ichigo watched his wife's body sway slightly and knew he needed to get her into bed quickly. She wasn't going to last much longer. He stood up stretching slightly before he grabbed Rukia's hand and led her to their room.

* * *

Retsu sat out on the patio at her sister's house. She had ended up over there the previous night and had decided to stay over. She had woken up extremely early and had grabbed a glass of orange juice after having gotten ready for the day and moved outside to watch the sun rise.

Retsu turned as she heard the glass door being opened and saw her sister making her way towards her. She smiled as Hisana sat down next to her watching as the sky was finally settling into the bright blue that it would be during the day.

"How are you doing?" Retsu asked while reaching for her glass.

Hisana took a moment before answering. She didn't quite want to say that she had spent the night in the comfort of her husband's arms because she didn't like to state couple-like things when her sister had clearly not moved on even after so many years. "I think Rukia was extremely fortunate yesterday. It would not have taken much for the outcome to have been completely different." Hisana replied with a slight shudder.

"I suppose not. Saito had his medical license suspended immediately, while pending investigation, upon Ryuuken's call to the medical board." Retsu stated quietly.

"How is Nemu?" Hisana asked.

"Fine, I guess. She had Chad with her last night." Retsu answered with a slight smile. She was happy that her daughter had finally taken an interest in someone.

"They seem to be getting serious." Hisana said with a grin.

Retsu laughed softly. "Yes, I suppose. I sometimes wonder what Kenpachi might have thought of him. I like him though, he makes her smile and I haven't seen her smile in a long time."

Hisana laughed along with her sister. Her late brother-in-law usually scared everybody. She had found it rather amusing. She also found it interesting that Kenpachi was one of the few people that could bring about Byakuya's temper. She always wondered what it would have been like if they had ever actually sparred, but for some reason she believed that the two men had actually respected each other in their own weird sort of way.

Both Hisana and Retsu turned as they heard Byakuya making his way towards them along the gravel path. He slammed the paper harshly down in front of them. "I want to know who leaked this information."

Retsu and Hisana both stared at Byakuya's retreating form and then both turned to the paper. They both leaned forward neither one believing what they were reading. Someone from the press had printed a story about what had happened yesterday and the photo was of Ichigo and Rukia leaving the hospital together. It wasn't that great of a picture, you could barely make out Rukia leaning against Ichigo and you couldn't see Ichigo's face but you could make out his brightly colored head.

Retsu didn't know who had taken the photo; it had to have been when Ichigo was leading Rukia to her car after Byakuya's little interrogation. It looked like a badly rushed picture on a camera phone. Retsu started to get up; she needed to go in early because she knew Ryuuken would be pissed. Someone on the hospital staff had given a reporter just enough details. She knew that the hospital was about to have an internal shakedown.

* * *

Nemu woke up and realized that she was lying directly on top of her boyfriend. Nemu smiled as she sat up effectively straddling Chad's waist. She thought briefly about when she had called Rukia yesterday after hearing about the events from both her mother and Chad.

Nemu was nearly startled when Chad moved his hand to her hip. She raised her eyes to his and realized that he was awake. She wondered how long he had been awake. She moved her hand to his face and leaned forward against him. "Move in with me?"

Chad couldn't keep the smile off of his face. He liked how direct and forward she was sometimes. He didn't have to deal with any games with her. "When?"

Nemu just shrugged her shoulders and moved forward to kiss him. She let her lips linger on his before she finally replied. "How about now?"

Chad rolled Nemu over so that she was now under him. He lowered his lips to hers and deepened the kiss. Chad ended the kiss and brought his hand to Nemu's face to brush her dark hair out of her eyes. "Okay."

They both took their time before they started to get ready for the day.

* * *

Karin smiled as she watched Benjiro prepare their breakfast. She couldn't help but snicker at the fact that he was doing it in the nude. She didn't know how he was so comfortable doing anything in the buff, but who was she to complain, it gave her a great view.

Karin gave an uncharacteristic giggle as she saw Ben nearly burn something very important. "You might want to wear an apron!"

Ben gave her a sour look. "We don't have one."

Karin reached around and picked up a particular garment. She adjusted her own black robe before walking over and handing the garment to Ben.

Ben picked up the so-called apron and slid it on. He picked at the side of it. "I don't think pink is my color."

Karin just smiled and knew she would have to thank Yuzu later for getting her this because she would never in a million years buy the thing herself. She carefully slid something out of her pocket.

Ben heard the telltale sound of a picture being taken by a camera phone. He twisted his head sharply to his girlfriend. "That better not be what I think it was!"

Karin pulled the phone close to her chest and took off running towards the bedroom knowing that Ben would be hot on her heels.

* * *

Orihime smiled as she placed the plate of lemon pancakes in front of her husband. She missed the curious glance Uryu gave the food as she moved to grab some syrup for him. "Do you think I should call Rukia this morning?"

Uryu hesitated in placing the still hot pancake in his mouth, trying to figure out what she had put in it this time. "Maybe later, she is probably asleep by now, if Ichigo was successful in keeping her up during the night."

Orihime nodded her head in understanding and placed her hand down on her own expanding frame. She was thankful she was finally off of bed rest now, but Uryu still wasn't letting her do a whole lot. "Maybe I can bring her some food later."

Uryu was able to keep his food down surprisingly. He wasn't sure if they should torture them anymore today. "We'll see if they are up for company later in the week, okay 'Hime."

Orihime nodded satisfied with her husband's response and smiled as Uryu leaned over and kissed her before getting up to finish getting ready for the day.

* * *

Renji and Tatsuki both were at the local gym getting their morning routine done before they headed home to shower and get ready for the day. They both got up extra early to get some workout time in during their day.

Renji pounded the punching bag rather roughly trying to get out some of his frustration. He couldn't believe what he had heard when Tatsuki gave him the details yesterday when he got home. He hated the fact that he had not been there to help his friends. He stopped when he felt a hand land on his shoulder and he turned to see Tatsuki standing near him.

"Come on tiger, let's go home." Tatsuki said so she didn't have to watch him beat up the punching bag any more.

Renji swung an arm around Tatsuki's shoulders pulling her close to him despite the fact that they were both sweaty from their workouts.

"Get away from me, you overgrown monkey." Tatsuki yelled out as she tried to maneuver out of Renji's grasp.

"What's with all the animal references?" Renji asked as Tatsuki nearly toppled them both over.

"Maybe because you're an animal!" Tatsuki retorted.

"An animal in bed you mean?" Renji countered with a grin.

Tatsuki rolled her eyes. "You wish!"

Renji chuckled before pulling Tatsuki in for a kiss, loving it when she finally gave in to him. He smiled as he watched Tatsuki's eyes flutter open after their rather lengthy kiss. "Marry me?"

Tatsuki stared at him for a few moments. "Only you would propose while we're standing in the middle of a gym covered in sweat."

Renji just shrugged his shoulders. "We tend to spend our time sweaty from one form of exercise or another."

Tatsuki punched him in the gut and walked away satisfied with his grunt of pain.

"What was that for?" Renji called out slightly wheezing.

"That was my answer!" Tatsuki called out.

"Was that a yes or a no?" Renji asked as he truly didn't know.

Tatsuki turned to him before entering the locker room and flashed him a brilliant smile.

* * *

Momo's eyes fluttered open and smiled as white filled her vision. She tried to shift her body but realized she couldn't as Toushirou was lying mostly on top of her, his head resting on her chest. She knew he was still asleep and she slowly raised her hand up and started running her thin fingers through her husband's hair. She was so thankful that her sister was okay and couldn't wait to be able to call her later in the day. She wondered briefly what everyone else was doing this morning.

Toushirou stirred from his sleep and quickly realized that Momo's fingers were going through his hair. He shifted his head so that he could look into his wife's eyes and smiled as she brought her hand to his face. He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips and kissed every finger. "Good morning, beautiful!"

Momo smiled at her husband before reaching her hand up to tug on his hair to pull her husband up so she could kiss him properly.

Toushirou groaned as he heard his cell start ringing. He gave Momo a couple of pecks on her lips before he reached over and answered his phone.

Momo smiled as she leaned up and started placing kisses along her husband's neck as he tried to talk on the phone. She gave a devious grin as she heard her husband sharp intake of breath and stutter when she slid her hand into his boxers.

Momo giggled as Toushirou pinned her to their bed and she realized he was off the phone.

Toushirou stared at her with his turquoise eyes. "That was your father!"

Momo really tried not to laugh. "Oh….uhm….oops!"

"I'll make you think oops!" Toushirou stated before capturing her lips with his own.

* * *

Yuzu stirred slightly and moved her arm and nearly yelled when her arm hit something solid. Yuzu opened her eyes in alarm and relaxed when she realized she was in Kira's arms. She turned her head around to take in her surroundings and silently cursed when she noticed that she was still at Kira's apartment.

Yuzu smiled as she watched Kira sleep. They were both still lying on the beige couch and she was sure that Kira was going to have a sore neck today because of the way he was sleeping, almost as if he hadn't wanted to disturb her.

Yuzu tried to reposition his head into a more comfortable spot and jolted when his visible eye opened. She hadn't expected him to wake up. Yuzu blushed and smiled at him. "Sorry and good morning."

Kira smiled at Yuzu and relished in the fact that he had held her all night. He had liked waking up to see her smiling face as well. "Good morning. Would you like some breakfast?"

Kira's smile faltered for a moment when he saw Yuzu's panicked look and wondered what he could have said wrong.

"Oh my God, I really stayed out _all_ night." Yuzu declared as she hopped up and looked around for her shoes and purse.

"I'll take you home." Kira offered as he sat up and readjusted his shirt as it had twisted around in his sleep.

"No! I'll get home on my own, because if dad or Ichigo saw you dropping me off, it would be so much harder for us. No matter how innocent last night was!" Yuzu pleaded before she reached over, grabbed Kira, and kissed him deeply.

"Call me when you get home so I don't worry!" Kira stated as his front door closed. He sighed before he rose off the couch to start getting ready for his day.

* * *

Ben walked into his parents house later than morning and narrowed his eyes as he saw them both watching him from the den. He ran his hand through what little hair had grown back on his head. He moved cautiously into the den where he had last seen one of his chemistry books.

Kisuke and Yoruichi both stared at their son trying to figure out the best way to torture him this morning. They both loved the fact that Karin fit in right with them.

"Son, I really don't think pink suits you very well!" Kisuke stated holding a fan over his face to hide his laughter.

Ben's whole body froze and he turned his eyes to stare down his parents. Ben pulled on his green sweatshirt and tried to think of a cover story, only nothing was coming to mind.

"I can't believe she showed you that picture!"

Yoruichi and Kisuke both leaned forward.

"Wait a minute! There's a picture?" Yoruichi asked with great curiosity.

"I don't know what you're talking about! There's no evidence of anything!" Ben shouted outright before rushing out of the room.

Kisuke laughed before turning to his wife. "He's so easy!"

* * *

Yuzu climbed up the side of the house, trying not to yell as yet again she scraped her knee against the side of the house in less than two seconds. Yuzu had been careful making her way up the street and then made sure to go to the other side of the house where no one could spot her from the front or the clinic.

Yuzu held in her yelp when she realized that Ichigo and Rukia were still home and then wanted to smack herself. Of course they would still be home after what had happened yesterday. She tiptoed through their room trying not to make any more noise than she already had.

Yuzu had made it to the bed when she noticed that Rukia had opened her eyes. She smiled as she saw her sister-in-law's smile and knew that they would probably have to talk later. She continued out of the room thankful that her brother hadn't woken up.

Yuzu didn't sigh in relief until she had closed her bedroom door and shed her clothes climbing into some pajamas so it would look like she just woke up. She grabbed some fresh clothes and moved to head towards the bathroom, hoping everything would look as it should if she happened to run into her father on her way to the bathroom.

* * *

Byakuya looked up from his computer as his phone line chirped and wondered what the interruption was about now. He knew he shouldn't really complain, most of the interruptions had been about the newspaper article and from the district attorney's office.

Byakuya only had to wait a few minutes before one of his son-in-laws was shown into his office. Byakuya motioned for Ichigo to take one of the chairs in front of his large desk.

Ichigo moved forward, still tired as he had woken up just before noon and had decided not to go back to sleep so he wouldn't mess up his sleeping pattern too much. "You wanted to see me today?"

Byakuya leaned back in his chair and regarded Ichigo for a few moments. "As much as I hate to say it, I believe I owe you an apology."

Ichigo had to make sure he was still breathing, he was pretty sure he must have had a heart attack. "What?"

Byakuya just stared at him. He was not going to repeat himself. "I believe there is something you should know."

Ichigo leaned back into the leather chair and wondered if hell had frozen over.

Byakuya took Ichigo's silence as an affirmation to continue. "In college, one girl that Rukia considered a friend helped a guy get close to her so they could get money from her. Rukia finally let him get close to her and after their first and only time together he demanded money to keep quiet about sleeping with her. It took Momo calling us because she was worried about Rukia to find out what had happened. We wanted to take Rukia out of school for a semester, it was only her sophomore year, but Rukia wouldn't hear of it. We agreed on the condition that she called one of us at least once every day. I personally made sure the other two could not continue their college education at the same institution."

Ichigo shuddered at the venom in his father-in-law's voice. He had wanted Rukia to tell him all this herself but he was not about to tell Byakuya that.

"Why tell me this?" Ichigo asked trying to wrap his mind around the sudden turn of events.

"I decided that you needed to know why I felt the need to protect Rukia so much. The way you acted yesterday, despite how irrational, proved to me that you do care for her." Byakuya admitted painfully.

Ichigo nodded before he stood up. "I promise that I will always protect her." Ichigo stated as he looked directly into his father-in-law's eyes.

Byakuya gave a slight nod. "I will hold you to that." Byakuya stated before Ichigo was able to leave his office.

* * *

Rukia glided down the stairs feeling much better now that she had actually slept. She ran her fingers through her still damp hair and wondered where Ichigo had gone. It was in the middle of the afternoon and Rukia's growling stomach had woken her.

Rukia wandered into the kitchen and smiled as she saw Yuzu sitting on a barstool working on some of her homework. "So what time did you get home last night?"

Yuzu looked up and couldn't keep the smile off of her face. "You already know I didn't get home last night!"

Rukia chuckled as she grabbed some fruit out of the refrigerator. "You're lucky Ichigo was too tired to notice anything last night. So….what were you doing?"

Yuzu blushed and put her books away. She wasn't really able to concentrate on them anyway. "I was actually decent last night!"

"Really?" Rukia questioned.

"Well, we might have kissed some more." Yuzu continued and looked around hoping that no one else was around.

Rukia stuffed a strawberry in her mouth and waited for Yuzu to continue.

"Nothing else happened. I was too upset to try and further our relationship last night. I just wanted to be held last night and that's what he did." Yuzu said while moving around to fix something with more sustenance for Rukia to eat.

"You guys are so sweet I think I'm getting a sugar rush!" Karin said as she rounded the corner.

Yuzu and Rukia both jumped.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Rukia yelled and then winced when she heard a rush of footsteps meaning that Isshin had heard her.

Isshin came flying around the corner. "What's wrong?"

Karin aimed a kick at her father trying to bring things back to normal. "Nothing's wrong. I just gave those two a scare."

Isshin rubbed his sore stomach and nodded his head with a grand smile plastered back on his face. "Oh my beautiful daughters! You bring so much joy to this man's life!"

Karin rolled her eyes as she turned to face the others after Isshin went back to his clinic. "Where's Ichigo?"

Rukia just shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, he was gone when I got up."

"I think he went to go see your father." Yuzu answered as she pulled the skillet onto the stove.

Rukia raised a brow as she remembered a vague conversation about that, but her attention was directed elsewhere as she smelled the food starting to cook.

"So Rukia, what did our brother do to get you to sleep with him on the same night you met?" Karin asked straight out.

Rukia nearly choked on the piece of fruit she had just popped into her mouth. "Why do you want to know?"

Karin just looked at her before reaching over to grab some fruit for herself. "I guess probably because he had never shown any real interest in anyone before. Mom had said he would be a good doctor and then after she died, Ichigo put all his energy in his academics. The only girl that I know he had dated was a real piece of work."

Yuzu snorted. "Yeah, she was just a little bit possessive of our brother."

"So, what happened to her?" Rukia asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"I kicked her ass out of my dorm room when she snuck in one morning and told her that if she came back I would spread a malicious rumor about her." Ichigo stated as he closed the front door.

Rukia rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah right, what kind of rumor would you have really spread?"

"I don't know, it was early and I had an exam later that morning. Like I could really spread anything without it making me look like an idiot, people already assumed we were dating. Although, I did start telling everyone that we had broken up that morning if they asked." Ichigo stated as he walked around behind Rukia wrapping his arms around her.

Rukia leaned up against her husband. "How was the meeting?"

"Strange." Ichigo replied as he leaned in to kiss his wife's cheek. "Chad called and we have to go sign our statements in the morning, but I want you to pack some stuff tonight because we are heading out of town for the rest of the week so we can relax and try to put this behind us."

Rukia turned around in his arms. "You don't have to take me away. I appreciate the gesture though."

Ichigo ran his hand through his wife's hair. "Are you sure? We can go anywhere you want!"

Rukia smirked. "Tempting as it sounds, I would rather stay here. Otherwise it looks like we're running away."

Ichigo leaned in and kissed his wife paying no heed to the fact that his sisters were in the room until he got hit upside the head by a spatula. "Hey!"

"Do you want me to start doing that in front of you?" Yuzu asked as she walked over to the sink to wash the utensil in her hand.

Ichigo rubbed the side of his head. "Point taken."

* * *

Isshin raised his head as he watched his son slink into his office. "What did you do?"

Ichigo sat in a chair near his father. "Nothing."

Isshin turned back to filling out paperwork when Ichigo didn't continue, as he was trying to actually catch up.

Ichigo watched as his father worked and studied the room around him. He soon saw the picture on his father's desk. Ichigo looked at his mother's picture. He knew that she would have liked Rukia. He only wished he had the chance to introduce them. Ichigo soon stood up and walked up to his dad placing a hand on his dad's shoulder. "Thanks."

Isshin stopped everything as his son thanked him and watched as Ichigo walked back to the house. He hadn't seen that one coming. Isshin stood up ignoring the squeak of the old chair as it moved across the floor and followed his son.

Isshin halted as he came around the corner and watched his family. Karin sitting on one of the bar stools chatting with Yuzu who was laughing as she finished whatever she was cooking. He watched Ichigo and Rukia sitting at the table laughing and stealing a few kisses. He smiled as Ichigo placed his hand on Rukia's rounded belly probably hoping to feel the baby kick even though it was still too early for him to be able to feel it. "Masaki, I know you are watching out for them and I thank you. I just wish you could see all of it on this side with me though."

* * *

**A/N : **Wow, finished another one! I felt I should probably touch up on everyone as I haven't mentioned some people in a while. Hopefully this was a decent chapter. I stil have so much to reveal it's mind boggling! I hope everyone had a good Valentine's week-end!!:) Also I started a new Shun/Nan story for anyone that's interested. I still need to update my Bya/His story too! I want to thank everyone that has reviewed!!:) I do really appreciate it!!:)


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Bleach. Insert funny comment

**Warnings: **This is an AU story – so bear with me:)

**Pairings: **Mainly Ichiruki

**A/N:** Many thanks to my beta, ForeverSam, for helping me and giving me enough confidence to actually post this story:) This is my first fanfic, so please be gentle.

* * *

**Accidental Bliss**

_By: akirk85029_

* * *

Rukia woke up early this Saturday morning and for some reason could not go back to sleep even though her husband was still out cold. Going downstairs after taking a shower and getting dressed sounded like a good idea, until she actually got down there and realized she didn't have anything to do that wouldn't wake up anyone else. She ended up just browsing through some of the books, but none of the titles held any interest for her at the moment.

Rukia looked around for some pictures, figuring it was time for her to see some photos of Ichigo when he was little as he had seen all her family photos and she came to realize there were only a few well placed photos in the living and dining rooms. While browsing, she remembered Yuzu once mentioning a basement, which was used for storage.

It took a bit of searching, but Rukia finally located the unobtrusive metal door that led down to the basement which was near the hallway that led to the clinic. She grasped the cool brass handle, gave the door a tentative push, and found herself staring into darkness. Her small hand grasped for a light switch and when she finally turned on the light she gasped at how steep the stairs were.

Rukia descended the white carpeted stairs one step at a time while holding tightly to the rail. She knew that if she fell or had any other kind of mishap she would never hear the end of it. Rukia blew a sigh of relief once she reached the bottom and hoped she would be done down here before anyone else woke up.

Rukia sneezed briefly as she opened the door to one of the rooms in the overcrowded basement. She edged her way further into the small room and rummaged through a few things before she came across an old photo album. She gently brushed her hand against the tan leather and wrinkled her nose at the dust that was on her hand.

Rukia opened the book and smiled at the pictures of a young Isshin and Masaki; she figured this must have been after they had just gotten married. She turned the pages noting how happy Isshin and Masaki had been. Rukia nearly cried when she found a picture of Masaki holding a newly born Ichigo. The look on Masaki's face was of pure love for the little one in her arms. Rukia pulled the picture out as she wanted to draw a likeness of it and give it to Ichigo. She pocketed the picture and continued to sift through the items, coming across a newer picture book, in which she found a picture of the twins as toddlers. She pulled that picture out as well, along with a picture that looked like Isshin and Masaki's wedding picture that had been stuffed in between the pages.

Rukia was about to put the albums back when she noticed a few ultrasound pictures. She looked at them with a smile on her face as she figured out which one belonged to the twins and Ichigo; however, something was bothering her. There seemed to be double the ones for Ichigo until she looked at the dates and then she gasped. The date on one picture was two weeks before Masaki had died.

"You figured it out?"

Rukia nearly jolted out of her skin at the sudden voice and sharply turned her head to see Isshin standing in the doorway, still in his pajamas. "She was, she was…"

"Yes." Isshin responded simply, trying to keep the tremor from his voice.

Rukia studied Isshin's face and saw the sadness, the pain, and finally the fear of what she would do with this newfound knowledge. "Why?"

Isshin sighed trying to figure out how to explain this all to his daughter-in-law. "You know how Ichigo is about his mother's death. I knew that if he found out he would only blame himself about this too. The kids never went into the basement, but they were constantly going in and out of my room, so the sonograms have been safe here until now."

Rukia felt guilty now, feeling like she had betrayed him somehow. "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry Rukia, I don't mean to be so rude. I've just defended this area for quite some time." Isshin responded, knowing that he wasn't being himself right now. Isshin always knew there was a possibility of someone finding out since he could not bring himself to destroy anything that gave him a link to what would have been his fourth child.

"Was she ill long?" Rukia asked as she didn't know that much about how Masaki had died.

Isshin rubbed his jaw for a few moments, giving him some time to contemplate before he answered her. "Rukia, very few people know the real circumstances of my wife's death. Ichigo, unfortunately, is one of them. The twins only know the long suffering illness story the hospital put out to cover themselves. The real story is that my wife went to the store to get something for a nine year old boy and ended up at the wrong place at the wrong time. She was still alive when she was taken to the hospital and would have survived if not for the incompetent doctor she was given."

Rukia said nothing for a while, just taking in the sudden onslaught of information. She watched as Isshin tried to compose himself. She knew that his wife's death still affected him so much and she wished there was some way to help him.

"Why did you let them cover up her death?" Rukia asked while trying to figure out if her aunt might know anything. She wasn't sure of the exact year her aunt had started at Karakura Hospital.

Isshin just nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders; his fingers twirled the belt of his robe. "I was given enough money to see all my kids through college even if they all wanted to be doctors with plenty of money left over. I didn't care at that point what they said; it wasn't going to bring my Masaki back to me."

Rukia walked over to her father-in-law, skirting around the boxes, and just hugged him. She didn't know what else to do to offer sympathy.

"You are a good person, Rukia, and I couldn't have asked for my son to find anyone better." Isshin stated as he swung an arm around Rukia's shoulders and steered her out of the room and carefully back up the stairs.

* * *

Retsu smiled as she sat down across from her daughter. They were meeting for lunch near the hospital and Retsu was pleased to see how happy Nemu looked. She was so delighted to see that Nemu had finally found some happiness. Her daughter had taken Kenpachi and Yachiru's death as hard as she had.

Kenpachi and Nemu might not have had as close of a relationship as that of what Kenpachi and Yachiru shared, but Retsu believed that was because Nemu took after her own scientific nature and Yachiru was just like Kenpachi. Retsu had no idea two children from the same parents could be so different; however, Nemu and Yachiru had gotten along splendidly well.

Retsu remembered when Nemu was twelve and one of her teachers had taken too much of an interest in her. She would never forget his name; Mayuri Kurotsuchi had nearly died when Kenpachi had found out. If her late husband's men hadn't been with him he might have nearly taken Mayuri's head off with his bare hands.

"Well, I have a pet now." Nemu said, her voice penetrating through Retsu's reminiscing.

Retsu raised a slender, black brow and smiled. Her daughter appeared to be amused with the situation. "What kind of pet does Chad have?"

"A bird of some kind. I'm not sure what species it is." Nemu replied as she read the menu.

Retsu chuckled slightly as she picked up her own menu. "I take it Chad is all moved in?"

Nemu blushed and placed her menu on the white tablecloth. She picked at the edge of her sleeve as she looked at her mother. "He is."

Retsu reached across the table to take hold of Nemu's hand. "I'm happy for you."

Nemu squeezed her mother's hand in thanks and smiled brightly as the waiter appeared to take their orders.

* * *

Tatsuki took a deep breath as she reached for the doorbell. She spared a quick glance at her fiancé and tried to steady her nerves. She hadn't been home for as long as she could remember. Her only escape growing up had been her karate, which, incidentally, had been how she had met Renji.

"You remember how she was." Tatsuki commented while trying to not show how nervous she was. She didn't want to inform her mother of anything, but she was here at Renji's urging.

Renji grimaced slightly remembering how mean spirited her mother was, but he knew it would be worse if she found out about their engagement through someone else. "We only have to stay a few minutes."

Tatsuki nodded her head and forcibly lowered her tensed up shoulders when the heavy front door opened to reveal an older woman, the bane of Tatsuki's existence, her mother.

"If you lost your job, you cannot move in here." Honoka Arisawa stated sharply, holding the door as a barrier against her guests.

Tatsuki tried to not let her mother prick her anger. She stared at the woman who had given her life and knew the reason her mother had hated her so much was because her father had forced her mother to give him a child.

Honoka had given her husband a child and then refused to accept him into their bed again for the fear of being forced to have any more children. She was forty when she had Tatsuki and knew that even one child had been more than she had wanted.

Tatsuki had been a daddy's girl from the beginning and being a tom-boy had only brought her closer to her father as he had attended all her sporting and karate events. Tatsuki's life had been torn apart when her father died when she was eleven.

"Don't worry Mother, if I _had_ lost my job, this would be the last place I would come to for help." Tatsuki replied with a frown. She stared into her mother's harsh green eyes and dyed ash blonde hair and was thankful she had gotten her looks from her father.

"What do you want then?" Honoka asked, trying to move them along as quickly as possible. She didn't want the neighbors nosing in on her personal business.

"I just wanted to give you the news that Renji and I are getting married." Tatsuki replied while pulling Renji's hand into her own.

Honoka rolled her eyes. "Is that all? Well, don't be surprised when he strays. All men do, your father was the biggest perpetrator."

Tatsuki let her anger take control. "Whose fault do you suppose that was? You damn well…."

Tatsuki was stopped from her rant as Renji pulled her away and started them towards his car. They heard the front door slam shut as they walked away. Renji pulled Tatsuki against him and kissed the top of her head softly.

"I'm sorry for making you come here, but you know how she would be otherwise." Renji whispered against her ear as he held her securely in his arms.

"Thank you." Tatsuki said, knowing that she would have said some harsh things if Renji hadn't pulled her away. "Tomorrow we get to go to your parents."

Renji just grinned and kissed her lightly on the lips. "You know they love you. Even Jinta does, and that's saying something."

Tatsuki smiled as they continued to walk to the car. Renji's real parents had both died in a car accident when he was seven. He had lived in a nearby orphanage until he was eleven when he finally had been adopted. Renji's new parents were great people and had been patient and understanding during Renji's rebellious years and Tatsuki was thankful that they had never given up on him. They had adopted Jinta when Renji had gone to college and it had been an odd beginning for Renji and Jinta, but they now had a strong brotherly bond they could both rely on.

They both stopped at the car and Tatsuki stopped him from going around to the driver's side. "Let's call everyone and meet somewhere."

Renji gave her a small smile. "Want to celebrate something?"

"Go get in the car!" Tatsuki demanded as she nudged Renji away. She couldn't stop the smile from forming on her lips as she heard Renji's arrogant snicker.

* * *

Rukia sighed as she walked slowly next to her husband. She was still debating on whether it was a good idea to tell Ichigo about what she had learned. They had spent the previous evening with Renji, Tatsuki, Uryu, and Orihime, celebrating Renji and Tatsuki's engagement. Rukia decided that if she was going to tell her husband she needed to do it today instead of waiting for a prolonged period of time.

Ichigo studied Rukia's profile from the side as they walked down the street. He knew she was distraught over something; she had been distracted since yesterday morning. Ichigo just couldn't figure out what was bothering her. He wondered briefly if it had to do with his mother and the reason behind her death. He knew she needed to know. He just didn't want to lose what he had found with her.

Ichigo looked around and noted that the sun was shining brightly for the last week-end of February. He was looking forward to March and the official start of spring. Ichigo decided that now was as good of a time as any. He started to lead them towards the cemetery.

Rukia was startled when they turned the last corner and the cemetery was laid out before them. She turned to see her husband's stoic face and wondered what he was thinking. "Ichigo, why are we here?"

Ichigo led them into the cemetery a ways before he answered her. "I need to tell something about what happened to my mother."

Rukia raised her brow and wondered why this week-end seemed to be the week-end the Kurosaki men were confessing things to her. "Okay."

Ichigo took Rukia to his mother's tombstone. He raised his free hand to the surface of the white marble that had his mother's name etched on it and felt how cool the stone was despite the sun shining on it. "It was my fault. The whole reason she was taken from the family was to get me something from the store because I didn't want what was going to be served for dinner."

Rukia understood his reason to blame himself; she would have done the same if their positions had been reversed, but she needed him to understand that this was not his fault.

"If I hadn't been so stubborn she would still be here. I admit now that it was stupid, but I only wanted her attention and at times I was jealous of the attention she would give to Karin and Yuzu. Karin and Yuzu, of all people, they were only five years old, just babies." Ichigo stated, shutting his eyes to try and control himself, to not let the guilt take over.

Rukia felt a tear slide down her own cheek as she watched her husband hold onto his self-composure. She wiped it away with the back of her hand and stepped closer to Ichigo. She raised her hand to cup his cheek. "It was not your fault."

Ichigo shook his head in denial. "It most certainly was."

"Ichigo, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, as your father said." Rukia said trying to comfort her husband.

Ichigo just snorted in disbelief. "You talked to my father. He tried telling me the same thing. I didn't believe it then and I don't believe it now."

Rukia sighed in frustration. She knew she wasn't getting anywhere with her husband. She lowered her hand to her ever expanding stomach as she felt the baby kick and an idea struck her. "Ichigo, if I went out for something, for our son or daughter, and was killed, would you blame him or her?"

"No." Ichigo responded immediately.

"Would you want our son or daughter to blame his or her-self for something that was out of their control?" Rukia continued pulling Ichigo's hand over and placing it on her rounded belly.

Ichigo was quiet for a long time pondering Rukia's question. He would rather take all the blame than to let his kid believe that something like that was his or her fault. He slowly raised his gaze to meet his wife's calm eyes and tried to hold onto his guilt. It had been his constant companion for so long; he couldn't just let it go so easily, could he?

"No." Ichigo answered knowing he still needed time to think on his own situation. He still felt it was at least partially his fault. He pulled Rukia close to him and just held her, taking his own comfort in just holding his wife.

Rukia wasn't sure if he was through with blaming himself, but she knew he was taking a step in the right direction. She didn't know if now was the right time to bring up what she had learned from her husband's father. Rukia didn't want to destroy what little ground they had gained. She needed to think some more on what to do.

"You know what?" Rukia asked smiling when she felt Ichigo's smile on her forehead.

"No, what?" Ichigo asked in response.

"I love you, don't ever forget that." Rukia said wrapping her arms tighter around Ichigo.

"Never, and I love you too, my beautiful pregnant midget." Ichigo stated and nearly laughed when he was punched in his side.

* * *

Yuzu was spending most of the week after her classes at Kira's working on her final project for her final semester; her and her classmates were given the entire semester to make a real life business proposal that reflects their chosen field of study. Yuzu smiled, knowing that with Rukia's help she was making her interior design proposal to Byakuya and Hisana Kuchiki. She knew that would raise a few eyebrows.

Kira walked into his living room and saw Yuzu laying across the ground with papers strewn about her. He wondered what she was smiling about as she worked. "What are you grinning at?"

Yuzu rolled over onto her back and smiled up at her boyfriend. "My teacher's faces when they see Byakuya Kuchiki's name on my proposal response."

Kira chuckled as he moved to lie next to Yuzu on the floor. "You're going to enjoy watching their eyes pop out of their heads, aren't you?"

Yuzu only smiled as she pulled Kira's head down to hers and kissed him.

Kira moved his body more firmly over Yuzu's as he continued to ravish her sweet mouth. He couldn't get enough of the taste of her. His hand moved from the curve of Yuzu's hip to cup her breast. He caught her gasp in his mouth and continued his ministrations.

Yuzu was enjoying the sudden turn of events when Kira suddenly pushed himself off of her. "What's wrong?"

Kira stared at Yuzu's confused face and tried to slow his racing heart down and control his rapid breathing. "Yuzu, I have to stop now because I desperately want to continue and I wouldn't be able to stop myself much longer."

Yuzu gave Kira a bashful smile. "Oh."

Nothing was said for a few minutes until Kira moved to sit in front of her again. He pulled Yuzu into his lap and wrapped his arms securely around her. "I just can't seem to stop touching you."

Yuzu snuggled further against him. "I like it when you touch me. I like the way you look at me when you do, like I'm the most beautiful person in the world."

Kira kissed Yuzu's temple as he held her. "You are the most beautiful person in the world."

Yuzu just shook her head. "I know I'm not, but I'm glad that you think so."

Kira kept silent, knowing it was pointless to argue with her. She was stubborn when she wanted to be. Kira glanced over at the clock on his mantel and groaned. It was nearly seven. "It's about time for me to take you back to your house."

Yuzu rolled her eyes. "Are you always so punctual?"

Kira chuckled softly against Yuzu's ear. "No, but you know your brother calls every five minutes when you're not home by dinner."

Yuzu scowled slightly at the mention of her brother. He was not making it easy to date, but at least he was not being as bad as he could have been. "I don't want to go yet."

Kira tightened his hold slightly. "Believe me when I say, I don't like to let you out of my arms. It's not easy for me, but I want to be respectful to your brother and father for the day I might ask for your hand so they don't refuse me outright."

Yuzu turned around suddenly. "What?"

Kira was confused for a moment. He had always thought that this relationship might lead to marriage. He had never been this happy with anyone else. Nor had he just been able to be himself with anyone else either. Was marriage something Yuzu didn't want with him? "I just thought that…."

Yuzu moved forward when Kira stopped mid-sentence. "Kira, you would really offer for me one day? That's so sweetly old fashioned."

Kira cheeks tinged pink as he looked into Yuzu's soft eyes. "Then you wouldn't be opposed to it one day?"

Yuzu smiled as she leaned in to kiss him gently, loving the way his soft lips felt against her own. She wondered if her lips looked as well kissed as his did. "I would never be opposed to it, if you ever decided to ask."

Kira smiled before kissing Yuzu again. He was already in love with her. He knew it and surprisingly he wasn't afraid of loving her. He always felt he would never be good at it as he had never felt anything like it before. Kira pulled Yuzu up and started to gather her things. "I think it's time to take you home before I carry you away somewhere."

Yuzu laughed before moving to put her things together. She wondered briefly if she should tell him about her research in trying to find out who his real parents were, but she figured he would probably think it was pointless. So Yuzu decided she would continue to wait until she found something concrete.

* * *

Momo smiled as she walked into the living room and found Toushirou sitting on the couch channel surfing. She knew he couldn't find anything worth watching with his occasional grunts and incoherent muttering. She moved behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders.

Toushirou leaned his head back and stared into his wife's eyes. "I wonder why we pay for two hundred channels that don't have anything good on them."

Momo tried to contain her amusement as she leaned over to kiss her husband's lips. "Did you not have a good day?"

Toushirou lifted his head up and shrugged his shoulders trying to ignore how bad of a day he had been through. The purchase of another building for the company was not going as planned and he was not happy about it. He needed to get up early and do some more research. Toushirou groaned as he felt his wife's hands start to give him a much needed massage. "Did I ever tell you that I love you?"

Momo laughed softly. "I think you only love my hands right now."

Toushirou grunted in reply. He smiled as he heard his wife's exclamation when he reached behind him and pulled her over the back of the couch and into his lap. "I can think of a better use for that mouth of yours."

Momo completely forgot about her earlier conversation with her mother about Ronin's upcoming birthday as she was quickly divested of her clothes.

* * *

On Friday night, Rukia was walking around the living room trying to get in her exercise for the night as it was raining heavily outside. She could hear the television in the background talking about an upcoming trial of a big time criminal. She briefly wondered if the charges would stick this time, but doubted it.

Rukia breezed past one corner of the living room and nearly yelped when powerful arms came around her. She saw a head of orange when she turned her head to the right and felt her husband's mouth against the juncture of her neck and shoulders. "Ichigo, what are you doing?"

"I would think it was obvious." Ichigo murmured against her neck.

Rukia smiled as she turned around in his arms. "Before you make me forget, Nanao asked if we could babysit her kids next week."

Ichigo straightened up and tried to remember if he had met this Nanao before.

Rukia ran her hand down her husband's chest. She knew her husband was trying to figure out who Nanao was. "You know her daughter, Amarante, who is Ronin's best friend. She has a little boy, Kaito who is five and a newborn baby girl, Hanaye."

"So why are we watching the brood?" Ichigo asked out of curiosity.

"I used to babysit for Amarante when she was little and besides my mom suggested it when she found out Nanao was looking for one just for that night only. I think my mother believes we need the experience of taking care of a baby." Rukia responded moving her hand down to her stomach. She was nineteen weeks as of today.

Ichigo chuckled as he started running his hands up and down Rukia's arms. "She might be right. I don't think either of us has spent any great deal of time around babies."

"It's a good thing I accepted then, since you are so amenable to the idea." Rukia responded with a grin.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and pulled his wife towards the kitchen with a smile on his face. He could hear his father and sister arguing over something on the grocery list and wondered if he could still squeeze in some alone time with his wife before dinner.

* * *

Hyota Saito sat in his small cell staring at the blank wall opposite of him. He was incensed with the indignity of having to wear a pink jumpsuit for his prison uniform; however, the fact that he had been denied bail was overwhelming. He couldn't believe they had denied him the ability to leave this hellhole.

Hyota continued to let the anger build in his black soul and wondered how long he was going to have to wait before he could get his revenge. He would have his own twisted version of justice as he believed he was the one wronged in the whole situation.

How he hated Ichigo Kurosaki. His hatred only increased the longer he was held in prison. It was only a matter of time before Hyota would be able to get his due. He knew that tomorrow he was going to have to write a letter to someone that owed him a favor. Hyota Saito always had the last word.

* * *

**A/N : **I'm sorry it took so long to update!! It probably sucks - I'm so out of practice! At least I feel like writing again:) I realized when reading over my previous chapters I had never really had a mother/daughter moment between Retsu and Nemu, so I added that. I haven't left any hints as to who Kira's real father is, so when I do reveal that hopefully it will be a good suprise:) I have something I've been thinking about doing with Masaki, but I don't know if it's a good idea. You might be able to guess!:) I do hope everyone has been doing good!!:) Even though it's early, have a great week-end!!:)


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